Dediapada (Guj), Jul 24 (PTI) The Gujarat government arrested Aam Aadmi Party MLA Chaitar Vasava because he was exposing corruption in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state, said former Delhi chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.
Vasava, the MLA from Dediapada in Gujarat’s Narmada district, was held on July 6 on charges of attempt to murder and other offences for allegedly attacking a taluka panchayat functionary during a meeting. The tribal MLA’s bail plea was rejected by the sessions court last week.
Addressing a rally here along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal referred to the arrest of two sons of Gujarat minister Bachubhai Khabad in an alleged MGNREGA scam wherein private contractors had siphoned off Rs 71 crore by submitting bogus certificates and documents to claim payments.
“After becoming MLA, Vasava started raising the issue of large scale corruption. Funds meant for building schools, roads and hospitals were going into the pockets of some politicians. BJP leaders are afraid of Vasava because he became the voice of tribals. BJP thought tribals will not vote for them if Vasava keeps raising their issues,” Kejriwal claimed.
“The BJP is eating MGNREGA funds. When Vasava exposed their corruption, the BJP government arrested him in a false case. Vasava is innocent and he cannot be intimidated by such tactics. The Union government applied the same tactics in Delhi and had jailed me and other AAP leaders for several months,” Kejriwal said.
Ahead of the 2027 assembly polls, the Gujarat government will jail AAP’s state unit chief Isudhan Gadhavi and newly-elected Visavadar MLA Gopal Italia to intimidate party workers, he further claimed.
“The people of Gujarat will have to stand up. For the upcoming local bodies and panchayat polls, AAP will give tickets to youths and children of common people, just like Chaitar Vasava. You need to come forward. I assure you AAP will give you tickets. We have to take revenge for Vasava’s arrest by uprooting the Congress and BJP in this election,” said Kejriwal.
People must be careful of the Congress as it is working hand in glove with the ruling BJP, he said.
The AAP is the only alternative for the people of Gujarat, the former Delhi CM asserted. PTI PJT PD BNM
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