AAP leaders protest Kejriwal’s arrest with day-long fast

New Delhi: Prominent leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a daylong fast at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, expressing their disapproval of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). They vowed that the public would respond to the BJP’s actions in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The AAP leaders also challenged the BJP-led Central government to impose the President’s rule in Delhi, warning that such a move would lead to the BJP’s eradication from the national capital.

The fast saw a large turnout of AAP volunteers and supporters who sang patriotic songs and held posters depicting Kejriwal in prison. Similar demonstrations were held across India and by Indians overseas, including locations like Harvard Square, the Hollywood Sign, the Indian embassy in Washington DC, Times Square, and cities like Toronto, London, and Melbourne.

Gopal Rai, the convenor of AAP’s Delhi unit, expressed confidence that Kejriwal would be released from jail and join the fight against the BJP’s alleged dictatorship. The stage where the AAP leaders sat during the six-hour fast featured an image of Kejriwal in prison, with portraits of B R Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh alongside Mahatma Gandhi’s photo.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in a case related to the Delhi excise “scam”, declared that Kejriwal has always been and will continue to be honest. He questioned the ED’s arrest of Kejriwal in a money-laundering case linked to the liquor “scam”, stating that only four out of 456 witnesses named Kejriwal in their testimonies.

Singh urged AAP volunteers to work diligently to secure victory for the party and the opposition bloc in the Lok Sabha elections, thereby facilitating the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah from power.

Delhi minister Atishi accused the BJP of resorting to dictatorial tactics and predicted that the fast would cause unease within the saffron party. She stated that public anger over Kejriwal’s arrest could be the downfall of the BJP.

The AAP shared images of protests in various cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Pune, on its social media platforms. Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj likened the scene at Jantar Mantar to the anti-corruption movement at Ramleela Maidan in 2011-12.

In Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and several Cabinet colleagues observed a fast at Bhagat Singh’s village, Khatkar Kalan. AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha stated that Indians living abroad also participated in the mass fast program, believing in Kejriwal’s ability to progress India.

At the conclusion of the fast, AAP national general secretary Sandeep Pathak warned that if the BJP dared to impose the President’s rule in Delhi, it would be obliterated by his party. Gopal Rai alleged that Kejriwal’s arrest was part of a BJP conspiracy to eliminate the AAP.

Kejriwal, who was arrested on March 21, will remain in judicial custody until April 15. The fast concluded at 5 pm, with juice packs distributed to the participants by the organisers.