New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday gave the “Delhi chalo” call, urging youth across the country to reach the national capital to demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner over “vote theft”, shortly before he was detained by the Delhi Police.
He also appealed to protesters to start their demonstration wherever they’re stopped by police and said the entire country can become Jantar Mantar.
As police personnel detained Kejriwal, AAP leaders and workers tried to hold on to him and prevent them from taking him away. The personnel lifted him by his legs and chest and carried him towards a police bus as party workers gathered around them, trying to resist his detention.
Kejriwal, accompanied by AAP leaders and scores of party workers, was detained outside his residence at Lodhi Estate while marching towards Jantar Mantar to participate in the protest. Those detained along with him included Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Kuldeep Kumar and the party’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda.
Senior party leader Gopal Rai was also detained while protesting at the party office.
Before his detention, Kejriwal said, “…till now, Modi ji used to win elections only by stealing votes. Now he has been caught red-handed.” He accused the BJP-led government of attempting to suppress the issue.
Claiming that the youth were angry over the detention of several people associated with the protest, he appealed to young people across the country to come to Delhi and demonstrate against the alleged electoral malpractice.
“Wherever Modi ji stops you, sit there. Turn that place into Jantar Mantar. Make the whole country a Jantar Mantar,” he said, adding that the alleged vote theft had to be stopped to protect democracy.
After being detained, Kejriwal said he had been taken into custody along with Sanjay Singh and raised slogans demanding Kumar’s resignation.
“The youth of the country is awake. They are not afraid of Modi ji’s tyranny. Now CEC Gyanesh Kumar has to resign. People are not going to tolerate his vote theft anymore,” he said.
The former Delhi chief minister appealed to people across the country to step out of their homes to fight for democracy. In a post on X, he said, “Sab log Delhi Chalo”.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal criticised the Centre over what he described as a security clampdown in central Delhi to prevent the protest. He had also announced that he and his family would participate in the demonstration.
In a post on X, senior AAP leader Atishi said Kejriwal had been “brutally taken into custody” for demanding Kumar’s resignation and asked Prime Minister Modi how many people would be detained to protect the chief election commissioner.
Following the detention of several protest leaders earlier on Saturday, Kejriwal had accused the prime minister of being “scared”, alleging that the detention of CJP leaders he referred to as “cockroaches” showed the government’s apprehension.
The AAP has been demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and what it calls “vote theft”. PTI SHB SSM PRK
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