Ousting BJP from power in 2024 would be greatest act of patriotism: Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: In a scathing attack on the BJP, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said ousting the party from power at the Centre next year would be the "biggest act of patriotism" that would clear all obstacles to the country's progress.

Addressing the party's volunteers in his Assembly constituency on Sunday, the Delhi CM gave a clarion call to unseat the BJP at the Centre in the next year's Lok Sabha elections, saying, "The people of my constituency are all praise for our government as much as they are for our party's volunteers. Our volunteers don't come with any political background. Our party itself doesn't have a political background."

"Even senior AAP leaders, like myself Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Atishi, and Saurabh Bharadwaj, don't have political backgrounds. We are the 'aam aadmi'. The leaders of other parties are often found to be involved in hooliganism, skirmishes, and exploitation of people for their personal benefit. My sense is that people don't like or favour such leaders. However, they like our leaders as they are polite and courteous. If you come across a leader, who appears to be a nice human being, rest assured that he is one among us. This is the trademark of the AAP." the Delhi CM added.

Saying that the BJP could have achieved a lot more with the mandate it had in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the AAP national convenor said, "The people blessed them (BJP) with landslide mandates in 2014 and 2019. They came to power with a significant majority in both elections. They could have achieved a whole lot more and put the country on the path to progress if they so wanted. However, today we can see how the ambiance in the country has vitiated under their rule."

Hitting out at the Centre, Kejriwal added, "Unseating them from power would be the biggest act of patriotism in 2024. The country will progress only then. No one understands what prompted them to take certain decisions. It makes one wonder if those decisions were made by them or someone else."

Taking potshots at the Centre over the move to recall high-value currency notes or demonetisation, the Delhi CM said, "When demonetisation happened, there were rumours of corruption floating around. Currency notes were being exchanged on the basis of a 30-30% commission. While common people queued up outside banks and cash dispensers to claim their hard-earned money and deposits, some rich and influential people managed to exchange the recalled notes through the back door. It hasn't even been seven years (since demonetisation) and they already discontinued the currency note of Rs 2000 denomination. No one understands why they introduced the Rs 2000 note."

On the raids on Opposition leaders by Central agencies, Kejriwal said, "These people (BJP) don't ask the ED and CBI to investigate their own. They may label a leader as the most corrupt one day and bring him into their party the day after, making the deputy CM or Minister."

Though he did not take names, he was clearly referring to the deputy chief minister in NDA-ruled Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, who was probed for corruption when he was in the Opposition. Accusing the BJP of corruption, the AAP convenor said, "If anyone involved in theft, criminal activities, or harassment joins the BJP, no investigative agency can dare touch them."