The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
On May 25, no jhaadu here: Kejriwal
AT HIS first-ever roadshow for Congress candidates in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday exhorted voters to press the button for the ‘panja (hand)’ on EVMS, come May 25 when the Capital votes in the Lok Sabha polls.
This is the first time any senior AAP leader has led a rally or a roadshow in a constituency where its alliance partner, Congress, has fielded a candidate. Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, had participated in roadshows in all four seats where AAP has fielded candidates — New Delhi, West, East and South Delhi — but gave the other three seats — North West Delhi, North East Delhi and Chandni Chowk a miss.
As his roadshow wound through the narrow lanes of Lal Bagh, under the Chandni Chowk constituency, Kejriwal said, “AAP and Congress have a coalition in Delhi. J P Agarwal ji is contesting from this constituency... so you have to vote for him... if you make himvictorious,iwillnotgotojail... AAP walon tum bhi jhaado ka button mat dhundna.”
Agarwal, who is up against BJP’S Praveen Khandelwal, said the Delhi CM’S release has had a positive effect on the ground: “... All leaders of the INDIA bloc are very important and the alliance is going to win all seven seats.”
Situated about 6 km away from Delhi University’s North Campus and surrounded by a high-rise gated colony, the Lal Bagh jhuggi cluster has a population of about 16,000 people living in kachcha houses with no proper sewers, roads and toilets. Locals claimed it was “the second largest slum after Mumbai’s Dharavi.”
Their living conditions notwithstanding, the colony has its fair share of AAP supporters — many stood outside their homes and balconies to catch a glimpse of Kejriwal — who pointed out that the government’s subsidies had eased their lives.
Sarita Rawat, 40, a resident of Lalbagh,said,“asasinglemother, tryingtomakeendsmeetindelhi ishardbutduetobenefitslikefree electricity, I save money and have not had to pay bills for the last 2-3 years... I go to pick up my children on a bus for free... when a government school in Shalimar Bagh refused to admit my children, I wrote a letter to (Manish) Sisodia ji and he got my children enrolled in the school I wanted... The party and Kejriwal ji have been a messiah for poor people like me.”
The CM’S roadshow proceeded around 7 km away towards Jahangirpuri, which falls in the North West Delhi constituency — the only seat in Delhi reserved for candidates from the SC community — to seek support for Congress’s Udit Raj. He is going up against BJP’S Yogender Chandoliya from the seat.
Here, the CM alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to abolish reservation: “The Modi government is not coming back on June 4... these people want to change the Constitution. Modi ji wants to end the reservation for SC, ST, OBC... today, they doubt if they will win even 250 seats.”
Appealing to the crowd to vote for Raj, the CM reminded them: “AAP walon tum log bhi sun lo EVM mai jhaado mat dhundna... haath (Congress symbol) par vote karna hai...”
Parts of Jahangirpuri fall under both the North West and North East Delhi. It has a mixed demography of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Valmikis, Punjabis, Bengalis, and Purvanchalis. In 2022, the locality saw communal clashes during Hanuman Jayanti. Residents said all they want now is peace. Mohammad Ali, a resident, said: “In this area, Hindus and Muslims live like brothers and sisters... I want a government that treats us equally... I support the INDIA bloc.”
Also at the rally were Udit Raj and North East Delhi candidate Kanhaiya Kumar. Raj said, “Kejriwal will not go to jail on June 2... Instead, PM Modi will go to jail due to the hatred he has spread.”
Otherlocals,meanwhile,were skeptical of the INDIA bloc’s chances of winning. Naresh Kumar Gera, who runs a toy shop inbcblockmarket,said:“congress isagood,buttheyarenotcontesting alone... these parties have joined hands... if they win, there will be a fight for the PM’S post... I wantoneleaderandpartythatcan steadily run the country.”