On Sunday, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal addressed a gathering of over 9000 individuals at Jantar Mantar, Delhi. The purported purpose of this meet was AAP’s attempt to launch an attack on the BJP, owing to the recent controversial statements made by BJP Vijay Goel on migrants from states like Bihar and UP into Delhi. Goel had apparently remarked about stopping the influx of people from these states into the nation’s capital. The AAP took this as an opportunity to slam the BJP leader and the party itself, citing that it was thinking on the same lines as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Shiv Sena.
Although Goel withdrew his statement later, citing that he had been misquoted by certain vested interests, the AAP has shown no signs of leaving the matter alone. At the addressing, Kejriwal reprimanded Goel for his statement, and reminded the BJP of what had happened to former chief minister Sheila Dikshit for issuing a similar statement on migrants and their possible links to rising crime rates in the capital.
Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay has clarified that Goel’s statement was not a political issue and the BJP considers every Indian as equal no matter which state he/she comes from. He also asserted that the BJP had closed its doors on the issue while the AAP was still hell bent on creating confusion among Delhiites. He further claimed that the AAP was keen on projecting everyone else as corrupt while it believed itself to be the Raja Harish Chandra of the Indian political system.
AAP’s main agenda for the Sunday rally was the need to press for elections in the capital, a move the BJP is averse to. The AAP has warned that it would launch a door-door signature campaign if the Assembly is not dissolved and reelections are not held within a week.
The Delhi BJP President however has challenged the AAP to do whatever it wants, claiming that the party itself was double minded about elections. He pointed out how it had asked for elections in the Supreme Court and had then, visited Lieutenant Governor to urge him not to hold elections. The BJP president also asserted that Arwind Kejriwal had left Delhi in 49 days only because he wanted to become the Prime Minister. The BJP has also claimed that the Sunday meet arranged by the AAP had an orchestrated crowd
For now, the BJP has asserted that the formation of a government in the nation’s capital would be the best choice, considering the fact that elections cannot be held every day just for the sake of one party alone.
