New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Forty-eight hours after being discharged by a Delhi court in the liquor policy case, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, claiming that the countdown of the BJP’s removal from power has begun.
Addressing the party’s rally at Jantar Mantar here, Kejriwal accused the prime minister and Shah of conspiring to frame him in the excise policy case and said that the court in a recent “historic” judgement proved that he was “Kattar Imandar” (hardcore honest person).
The 140 crore Indians will unite to uproot “dictatorial government from country,” said the AAP chief.
A trial court on Friday granted the relief to Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the case and criticised the CBI, saying the charge sheet “suffers from internal contradictions, striking at the root of conspiracy theory.” Addressing the gathering of party leaders and workers from several states, Kejriwal alleged that the prime minister feared everyone and asserted that when a “tyrant” is scared, it signals the end of his reign.
“He sent Sonam Wangchuk to jail, who is a big scientist and worked for the education of children. Modi ji did not go to Parliament one day, fearing women MPs would assault him. He is scared of Trump, too,” Kejriwal stated.
The former Delhi chief minister also alleged that in 12 years of BJP rule in the country, all the sectors were ruined and the condition of roads, healthcare, education and sanitation, among others, was in a bad shape.
He also alleged that the BJP government removed thousands of bus marshals, drivers, conductors and Mohalla Clinic staff from jobs.
Taking a dig at the “Viksit Bharat” vision of the Prime Minister, Kejriwal said people want a “Rahne Layak Bharat” (liveable India) and also took a swipe at the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme addressed by Modi, saying he should stop the “drama” and focus on preventing paper leaks in exams.
Kejriwal also slammed the BJP government in Delhi, saying the party ruined the city in its one-year rule, alleging that the roads were broken, the water supply was contaminated, and people were facing difficulty in breathing due to air pollution.
He said the prime minister had nothing to do with the country, and he was after power only through “conspiracies” and manipulation in voter lists.
“Modi ji, you can continue to work for power, and I will continue to work for the country,” Kejriwal said.
“I passed from IIT with good numbers and could have gone to America. But I thought if everyone went abroad, who would take care of the country? When I served as an income tax commissioner, people used to swear on my honesty,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP and PM Modi kept calling Delhi’s ‘son’ (Kejriwal) corrupt, but the court has made it clear that he was, is and will remain “kattar imaandar”.
“My arrest was meant to send a message that anyone who works honestly will meet the same fate as Kejriwal,” he said and added the excise case was a move to finish AAP.
Turning to national politics, he continued, “In 2014, people were fed up with the corruption of Congress. Remember 2G, coal scam, Commonwealth scam. They gave PM Modi a full majority government with great hope,” Kejriwal said.
“After 30 years, a full majority government was formed. People had high hopes that now the country would change and PM Modi would do something. I want to ask you, it has been 12 years. Have you gained anything? Has your life improved? What have you received?” Comparing Sunday’s rally with the April 2011 anti-corruption movement, which also began from Jantar Mantar, he said, just like Congress was swept from power then, the countdown of the BJP’s removal from power has begun now.
Several senior party leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Manish Sisodia, Atishi, Sanjay Singh, and Saurabh Bharadwaj, also addressed the gathering at Jantar Mantar.
Mann asserted Punjab will deliver 100 seats in the 2027 Assembly polls to AAP, marking the beginning of the end of the BJP’s “authoritarian rule” at the Centre.
“Where Punjab moves, the nation follows, and 2027 will mark the beginning of change across the country. Punjab has never bowed before authoritarianism; we will answer injustice with a resounding mandate,” said the Punjab chief minister.
He also complained that the Centre had withheld GST dues and Rs 1,600-crore flood relief, and added that the Jantar Mantar rally was the beginning of the march toward national victory.
Sisodia called upon the AAP leaders and workers to work hard with courage to remove Modi from power and bring in Kejriwal. PTI VIT AMJ AMJ
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.