AAP gets nod to hold rally in Surat on Oct 16

Nayak had moved the petition through senior lawyer Anand Yagnik, contending that there were two reasons behind moving the application before the police two months before the event. One was for arranging the event to the “satisfaction of the district magistrate and Surat police commissioner keeping in mind the magnitude of the meeting”. And the second reason was the past experience in which the public meeting, which was supposed to be addressed by Kejriwal, was cancelled as the authorities denied the permission for the same.

The court had last week issued notices to the district administration and Additional Home Secretary, Surat Police Commissioner and Collector.

According AAP office-bearers, this event will be their first political rally to be addressed by Kejriwal. The permission for this was sought well in advance as it required time for preparation, they said. The rally is scheduled to be held at Yogi Chowk in Surat’s Punagam locality, dominated by Patidars.

Meanwhile, the AAP team of Surat and south Gujarat have started intensive campaigning to bring people to Kejriwal’s public meeting on October 16.

The BJP was favoured by people in this area earlier, but after the Patidar quota movement, the people of Punagam area voted for the Congress during the last elections. AAP leaders and workers are going door-to-door in Varachha, Punagam and other areas in the city to create awareness and bring public to the meeting. Talking to The Indian Express, AAP spokesperson in Surat city, Yogesh Jadwani, said, “We have worked in Delhi during the assembly elections and we are replicating same intensive campaigning here. Our party workers are explaining people whether they want corrupt governments of BJP or Congress or they want non-corrupt government.”

He added, “There are around 30,000 members registered with AAP in Surat city and we have started conducting public meeting during night in different areas. We’ve also carried out campaigning in the colleges and schools and diamond markets in Varachha area. We want people from all communities to come and attend the meeting. AAP members and workers from across the state will also attend the meeting.”