Addressing a ‘Vijay Viswas Sabha’ rally, he alleged that the BJP has handed “insults” and “humiliation” to its loyal voters over the last three decades, and promised that the AAP will “transform” Gujarat, like it is doing in Punjab”, if given a chance to form the government.
“For 30 years, you have been casting your votes for parties and politicians, yet these leaders have done absolutely nothing for you. They are loyal to no one but themselves,” said the AAP convener at the event in Amreli district.
Assembly elections in Gujarat are due next year. In the 182-member House, the BJP has over 160 MLAs, while AAP has four legislators.
“This time, vote for yourselves; form your own government, a government of the people. Do not vote for any individual politician. The people of Punjab have already formed their own government,” the former Delhi chief minister said.
He claimed the BJP government has given the people of Saurashtra, which covers Amreli district, “insults, humiliation, jail time, police batons in return for making them victorious on 40 out of 48 seats in the region”.
“You spared no effort in showering the BJP with respect and honour, yet in return, you received only humiliation, abuse, and rough treatment. And what did the BJP do after securing your votes? They became ministers and MLAs; they acquired luxury cars; they opened massive shopping malls; they amassed immense wealth.Over these 30 years, the BJP has looted people, he claimed and accused the ruling party of indulging in corruption, citing the collapse of bridges in Morbi and Vadodara. “Where does all that money go?” he asked.
He claimed that the BJP government recently announced a compensation package of Rs 10,000 crore for crop loss, “yet the farmers never received it as politicians embezzled the entire sum”.
“Over these 30 years, the rates of corruption have skyrocketed. These people have engaged in corruption on an unprecedented scale,” Kejriwal said.
He said that AAP is not merely a political party but represents a movement and “embodies the spirit of the freedom struggle”.
In Punjab, there is a government of the common people, led by a chief minister who is a farmer’s son, with 80 of over 90 AAP MLAs elected as legislators for the first time, he said. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also attended the rally.
Kejriwal said both Punjab, where assembly polls are also due in 2027, and Gujarat are lands of farmers, but in the northern state, work is done specifically for the farmers. In Punjab, farmers receive electricity supply for 8 hours and over the last four years, irrigation water has reached 70 per cent of the fields, he claimed.
“Here, it is a government of politicians, a BJP government, a government of the rich and the millionaires. In Punjab, it is a government of the common man, one that thinks about your welfare 24 hours a day,” he said.
He further said the BJP government enacted a law regarding “eco-zones” that has caused immense distress to the entire farming community.
“Why did they do this? Because they have absolutely no concern for the farmers. Don’t the officials from the forest department harass you people? They do because you voted for politicians. This time, form your own government. Just as work is done for farmers in Punjab, similar work must be done for farmers in Gujarat as well,” he said.
The AAP leader said his party has only four MLAs in the Gujarat assembly, but is still fighting on behalf of the people. “Tomorrow, help us form the government in Gujarat and witness how we transform the very landscape of the state,” he said.
Kejriwal said AAP has been able to accomplish “so much work” in Punjab because it does not engage in corruption involving even a single penny.
“Just this morning, Bhagwant Mann had an MLA from his own party arrested because he was involved in corrupt practices,” he said.
