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Sisodia begins padyatra in South Delhi: ‘Feels like I’m back with my family’
This was Sisodia’s first major public outreach event since he walked out of Tihar jail on bail last week
Former Delhi deputy chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Friday launched his “padyatra” (foot march) in Kalkaji in south Delhi where he said he was glad that he again has the opportunity to be “back among my family”.
This was Sisodia’s first major public outreach event since he walked out of Tihar jail on bail last week, ending his 17 months of incarceration related to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy.
“Today I am back among my family. The people of Delhi were worried about me and I was worried about my people. Today I have come to know about the well-being of the people. The people of Delhi are very worried about their chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and are praying to get him out of jail,” Manish Sisodia said while talking to media persons during the march.
The senior AAP leader arrived at Greater Kailash MLA’s office located at DDA Flats, Kalkaji at 7pm to a warm welcome by hundreds of party workers and locals who were waiting since 5pm to receive him in the humid evening.
The march is part of a series of outreach programmes planned by the AAP in the run-up to next year’s state assembly elections, which are likely in February 2025. The march is set to continue for three weeks during which Sisodia will conduct “padyatra” in different parts of the city.
It coincided with the birthday of Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on August 16.
Meanwhile, AAP leaders and workers in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, celebrated Kejriwal’s birthday by cutting cake on Friday. AAP volunteers also gathered outside Tihar jail in Delhi and cut cake to celebrate the CM’s birthday.
Party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj escorted Sisodia inside the MLA office from where he emerged a few minutes later and started his foot-march amid the waving of national flags and AAP’s flags.
Patriotic songs were playing from speakers on a vehicle which moved a few meters ahead of him.
Surrounded by a battery of security personnel, photographers and media persons Manish Sisodia walked along the road in the area, greeting people, shaking hands with some, engaging in brief conversations with people, accepting flowers and garlands from a throng of supporters.
“The whole of Delhi is my family. Today I feel as if I am among my brothers and children. Prayers of all Delhi residents are with Arvind Kejriwal ji and he will come out soon,” Sisodia said.
Sisodia was released from jail on August 9 after over 17 months of incarceration in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy of 2021-22.
The route of the 1.5km-long march was confined to internal society routes, causing some traffic congestion within Kalkaji.
The “padyatra” began at 7.20pm and continued for nearly 50 minutes during which the former deputy CM walked around 1.5km and it concluded near Alakhnanda Market.
Sisodia also stopped at several shops, places where people had gathered to talk to them. He was also seen obliging people including children who requested him for a picture.
DDA Flats Kalkaji are located under Greater Kailash assembly constituency and the place where the march concluded also falls under the GK constituency. GK constituency is represented by AAP since 2013 and its MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj is a minister in Delhi government.
Narender Kumar, a resident of DDA Flats Kalkaji, said he came to see the foot-march because Manish Sisodia has come out of jail after a long time. “I just came to see him. He has improved the government schools,” said Kumar.
Asked to comment on the corruption allegations against him, Kumar said: “All leaders in the country are corrupt. But the corruption allegations of Sisodia have not been proved that is why he has been released from jail.”
Navin Kumar, a resident of Govindpuri, who was passing through the area to go to his house, said he was less bothered about the corruption charges but more about the work of the government. “The AAP government is not different from other governments. After a little rain the city turns into a lake, that says a lot about the work of the AAP government.”
On Saturday, the padyatra will be held in Patparganj assembly constituency represented by Sisodia since 2013. Sisodia has planned to take public feedback during the march which will help the AAP in charting out the strategy for 2025 polls.
“When we go among the people we will see the work done. It is only from the ground that you get an understanding of what more the government should do,” Manish Sisodia said recently in an interview to HT.
The BJP hit out at Manish Sisodia over his foot-march.
“From the construction of schools to the expansion of liquor shops, Manish Sisodia has been involved in scams. He should not be undertaking a padyatra but rather a ‘paschatap yatra’ (repentance march). The way Manish Sisodia has been active since his release from jail is not ordinary activism; it is a well-planned activity, which implies that either the Aam Aadmi Party believes that Arvind Kejriwal will remain in jail for a long time, and they are positioning Sisodia as an alternative, or Manish Sisodia himself is eager to take control of the party,” said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva in a statement.
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