Arvind Kejriwal at core of AAP campaign for upcoming Lok Sabha polls

AAP launches national campaign at headquarters, focusing on Arvind Kejriwal's achievements in Delhi. Party aims to win all 7 seats in Delhi for more strength.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday launched its national campaign at AAP headquarters, Rouse Avenue, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls this year which is centred around the party’s national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal said before the general elections, AAP party workers will go door-to-door, to canvass in Delhi three or four times. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Party officer bearers said that the campaign is titled “Sansad mein bhi Kejriwal toh hogi Delhi aur Khusshal”, adding that the victory of all seven Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidates from Delhi would give Kejriwal “more strength to work for the people”.

Read here: Kejriwal launches AAP's ‘Sansad mein bhi…’ campaign in Delhi for Lok Sabha polls

Addressing a the gathering on Friday, Kejriwal listed his government’s work such as “improvement in education and healthcare services,” and appealed to people to vote for INDIA bloc candidates. “When I was doing all this work, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the LG (lieutenant governor), and the Centre tried to stop all the good work,” he said at the campaign launch. Kejriwal was accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann.

“They hate the 20 million people of Delhi because you have elected an ordinary person as the chief minister three times. Seven years ago, MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), which was then under BJP’s control, demolished a Mohalla Clinic we established,” Kejriwal added.

Kejriwal also released pamphlets listing the works of the AAP government such as free pilgrimage, free bus rides for women, free electricity, and those done in the education and healthcare sectors. AAP workers will distribute the pamphlets, which also list the challenges the AAP government faced.

He said the Delhi government installed the largest number of CCTV cameras within five years, adding that when LG VK Saxena tried to stall the process, the government protested and got the scheme approved.

“They stopped the supply of medicines, and tests at Mohalla clinics, free yoga classes, and the Farishtey scheme (for road accident victims) which saved 23,000 people. I went to the Supreme Court and got the Farishtey scheme restarted. I got the medicines and tests restarted in the Mohalla clinics. Where were the seven BJP MPs members of Parliament when it was all happening?” Kejriwal said, alleging that BJP MPs from Delhi got the work stopped.

The AAP and Congress, the key constituents of the INDIA bloc, have agreed to contest the national elections together in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Goa. They will contest the polls separately in AAP-ruled Punjab. While Congress will contest three seats in Delhi and AAP will contest the remaining four.

At the campaign launch, where all AAP candidates were present, Mann appealed to people not to vote for BJP. “When AAP will have 30-40 MPs in Parliament, no one will have the courage to stop any work in Delhi and Punjab,” said Mann.

Kejriwal said before the general elections, AAP party workers will go door-to-door, to canvass in Delhi three or four times. “AAP workers will come, touch your feet, fold their hands, plead, appeal, pray to you, and ask for your vote. They (BJP) don’t want your votes, but I want your blessings,” said Kejriwal.

An AAP official said Kejriwal is also likely to join the outreach programme. However, the date on which the CM will be campaigning is yet to be finalised.

Kejriwal said he needs MPs in the Lok Sabha to fight the BJP and get the work of the people of Delhi done. “I approved the electricity subsidy with a lot of difficulty. People will continue to get free electricity for the next year. I am currently single-handedly fighting with the LG, the Centre, and the BJP. If you call me your son, then you cannot leave your son alone. I appeal to you to strengthen the hands of your son,” said Kejriwal.

He said he has been able to work for the people only because they gave him an overwhelming majority. “Otherwise the BJP would have toppled the AAP government,” he said, adding that he will get the work “stopped by the Centre or LG” done.

AAP has 62 lawmakers in the 70-member Delhi assembly and the BJP eight. The BJP swept the last Lok Sabha polls in the Capital winning all seven seats.

Kejriwal said AAP workers will go to every household two to three times seeking votes before the Lok Sabha elections. “AAP volunteers and I will come to your house... BJP is saying they are going to get 370 seats. They do not need the votes of the people. They are arrogant. Give your votes to the person who needs your votes,” he said.

Read here: AAP launches national poll campaign ‘Sansad Me Bhi Kejriwal’

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the AAP’s campaign slogan was “ridiculous”. “AAP has a majority government in Delhi, but despite that, it has not been able to muster the courage to contest elections on all seven seats of Delhi, and is having Parliament dream. AAP has insulted the people of Delhi by forming an alliance with Congress against which it established itself calling the Congress leaders corrupt,” said Sachdeva. He added despite getting two terms, AAP leaders indulged in corrupt practices.

“For the AAP, the suitable slogan should be ‘Delhi deteriorated due to Kejriwal’s nine years of plunder and corruption’, because in the past decade, AAP has only misled people and attained the status of a national party, but now the people of Delhi, Punjab, Goa, and Gujarat will reject Kejriwal in such a way that it will lose the national party status,” added Sachdeva.