Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal is on a 13 day tour that spans three states – Goa, Punjab and Gujarat. On his agenda is to get the party prepared for the assembly elections scheduled in these three states in 2017. AAP sees its fortunes rising in these states as there has been a lot of conversation generated around the party’s activities there. These are also states either ruled or ruled in conjunction with a local party and AAP has taken upon itself to challenge the saffron party wherever possible. Check out what Arvind Kejriwal has been up to till now on his tour:
The Delhi CM has said his party will repeat in Goa its electoral performance of Delhi and win at least 35 out of 40 seats in the state in upcoming Assembly election. “AAP will spoil the prospects of both the parties (Congress and BJP). Out of the 40, we will win over minimum 35 seats (in Goa Assembly elections),” Kejriwal said in Vasco town. He began his two-day visit to the state today.
Responding to a question on chief ministerial face of the party in Goa, he said, “There are 20 lakh people living in the state. Goans have leadership capabilities. I am a small person here. I can’t do much sitting in Delhi.”
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To another question whether his image was becoming larger than AAP, he said, “Kejriwal is not important, the party is important.”
He said AAP repeat in Goa the history created in Delhi as people will go for the party and reject Congress and BJP. “We will repeat the history. The reason is that people in Goa have witnessed that BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin, they just fight on the face, but behind that they hold secret meetings with each other. They go along very well, but people suffer,” he commented.
Congress and BJP are ‘completely corrupt parties’, he said and added, “People have realised that. But they had no option in the past. Now there is an option in the form of AAP. AAP is not a party, it is a revolution… a revolution against corruption.”
Arvind Kejriwal will be in Punjab from July 3 to 5. During his trip to the state, Kejriwal will also release an youth manifesto. On July 4, he will address an event of the Christian community in Gurdaspur and interact with the members of Muslim community in Malerkotla.
Kejriwal is also expected to interact with industrialists in Ludhiana during his visit to Punjab.
The AAP has already declared its intentions to contest Gujarat assembly elections. Considered as a strong BJP citadel, the party has been working to make inroads in the state and fill in the vacuum of a “weak” opposition in Gujarat.
Kejriwal, who has extended his tacit support to Patidar leader Hardik Patel by opposing sedition charges slapped at him, will visit Gujarat on July 9 and 10. During his visit, he is likely to meet business leaders and industrialists in the state.
