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AAP is party of Dalits, says Arvind Kejriwal

Home to Asia’s largest grain market, the ancient town of Khanna, 40 kilometres from Ludhiana, witnessed a roaring response to Kejriwal’s visit on Tuesday afternoon with over 5,000 people turning up at a resort in Libra village here.

Updated on: Jul 6, 2016, 12:17:42 IST
Hindustan Times | By , Khanna
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Home to Asia’s largest grain market, the ancient town of Khanna, 40 kilometres from Ludhiana, witnessed a roaring response to Kejriwal’s visit on Tuesday afternoon with over 5,000 people turning up at a resort in Libra village here.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with AAP workers at Guru Nanak Bhawan in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (JS Grewal/HT Photo)
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with AAP workers at Guru Nanak Bhawan in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (JS Grewal/HT Photo)

Large number of residents had converged at the venue from Patiala and Fatehgarh zones.

As Kejriwal reached the venue at 3.25pm, it had an electrifying effect on the packed crowd that whistled and clapped to greet the AAP national convener.

Kejriwal began his address by saying, “the Dalit community is fed up of the policies of the BJP-SAD combine.”

He went on to say, “The Congress and the BJP are together and there is no difference between them.”

“Even 70 years after India achieved Independence, Dalit Samaaj has not progressed. The same mentality is prevalent everywhere,” Kejriwal added.

Read: Kejriwal in Ludhiana: Youth Akali Dal members protest, block road

Citing the example of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula who committed suicide in January this year, Kejriwal said Rohit did a small mistake of raising issues under the banner of Ambedkar Students Association.

“The Akali parties are Dalit virodhi (The Akali government is against the progress of Dalits). It’s a shame on the government. By voting the AAP to power, the population of state will teach a lesson to the BJP that is committing atrocities on the Dalits,” he said.

Deliberating upon the issue, Kejriwal added that similarly, a youth of Abohar was murdered in January with his arms chopped off. “The accused was a liquor contractor and a SAD member. He was murdered by the government,” he added.

Kejriwal assured that if voted to power, his party will make a special investigation team (SIT) that will reopen all cases of atrocities on Dalits, and culprits will be sent to jail.

“In Delhi, 90% of Dalits voted for us because AAP is the party of Dalits,” he said adding that he will soon return to Punjab for more interactions with people.

  • Aneesha Sareen Kumar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Aneesha Sareen Kumar

    Aneesha Sareen is a Special Correspondent at the Hindustan Times head office in Chandigarh. A reporter with two decades of experience, Aneesha has her eyes and ears firmly on the ground. She has extensively covered crime, courts, administration, politics, the Municipal Corporation and industry across Chandigarh and Punjab. During her stint as bureau head in Ludhiana from 2016 to 2023, she led a team of young journalists reporting across the length and breadth of the industrial city and its surrounding areas. Currently, she covers politics and Administration in Chandigarh. When not chasing stories, Aneesha enjoys travelling and exploring new cuisines.Read More