Commenting on the recent Gujarat cabinet overhaul at the Kisan Mahapanchayat on Friday, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged Harsh Sanghavi has been “rewarded” with the post of Gujarat deputy Chief Minister for sending AAP leaders as well as farmers to jail.
The farmers’ meet was organised at Sudamda village of Sayla taluka in Surendranagar on Friday.
Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal said, “Who gave the order to jail farmers? Harsh Sanghavi. Who ordered the lathi charge on farmers? Harsh Sanghavi. Who ordered the filing of cases on farmers? Harsh Sanghavi. Who sent Chaitar Vasava, Pravin Ram and Raju Karpada to Jail? Harsh Sanghavi. And in reward, BJP made Sanghavi the Deputy CM.”
Deputy CM Sanghvi and the BJP did not immediately react to Kejriwal’s allegations.
In the recent state cabinet rejig, Sanghavi was upgraded to cabinet rank and made deputy CM apart from being given sole charge of the home portfolio, including other departments.
Kejriwal also referred to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. He said, “They are such cowards that Trump threatens them and asks them to stop the import duty on American cotton and the BJP does it. Trump says don’t buy Russian oil, and the BJP does it. Trump says he ended the war with Pakistan, BJP doesn’t say anything. Trump says stand up the BJP stands up and if he tells them to sit, they sit down. Their trousers get wet before Trump. You can’t speak up against Trump and you jail poor farmers. If you are sons of men, then threaten Trump, not the farmers.”
Kejriwal spoke about the issue of several farmers currently in jail in Botad district. On October 12, a conflict between the police and the farmers as well as the AAP workers turned violent with alleged stone pelting and vandalism from one side and lathicharge and teargas from the other.
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Kejriwal said, “After the Visavadar election, they changed the cabinet. Now that won’t work, now the government will change. CM Bhupendra Patel changed his cabinet and now he is a dummy CM. Harsh Sanghavi is super CM. They have insulted the entire Patel community. They made Bhupendra Patel a dummy CM.”
Kejrwal referred to the Visavadar by-election won by AAP candidate Gopal Italia, now a first-time MLA.
Kejriwal said, “Today is the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. He is called the sher (lion) of Gujarat. In Indian history, he fought the most battles for farmers. He did the Kheda andolan in 1918, and the Bardoli satyagrah in 1928. He fought for farmers against the British, non-violently. The British had to accept his demands. More than 100 years ago when Sardar Patel protested, the British never did lathi charge or launch teargas shells. The British didn’t file false cases and book farmers and jail them for 307 (IPC-attempt to murder).”
He added, “Sardar Patel may not have even dreamt that after 100 years, after independence, in our country, there would be a BJP government that would lathicharge and teargas its own farmers and file false cases and send them to jail. If Sardar Patel is watching from above today, he would grieve at the state of Gujarat where farmers are crying. They put farmers in jail because their only fault was that they were demanding their rights.”
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Extending a helping hand to the farmers, Kejriwal said, “I met several relatives of jailed farmers. We are with them. We will do whatever needs to be done to free them from prison. What are farmers seeking? The BJP promised to give MSP (Minimum support price) when they were elected to the Centre. Where is the MSP? You don’t give MSP and when the farmer tries to sell his produce in the market, you still don’t give him the full rate.”
About the incident in Botad, he said, “I have seen the videos from Hadadad on how the police beat up the farmers. I had tears in my eyes. I want to tell the BJP that their countdown has begun. Just like you, the Congress had become arrogant and had fired on farmers. 14 farmers died. The Congress never came back to power. This time, the same thing will happen with the BJP. Now when the BJP goes out of power in Gujarat, they will not return for the next 50 years.”
Kejriwal once again alleged the Congress and BJP are hand-in-glove in Gujarat, asking why only AAP leaders were sent to jail and Congress leaders were spared.
Comparing the BJP to the British, the AAP chief said, “The BJP has become a burden on Gujarat that needs to be set aside. At one time, the British thought they would never leave India but they had to do so. In Gujarat, the BJP feels the same way, will you remove them? Even the British left India and the BJP will have to leave Gujarat… Gujarat hamara hai, inke pitaji ka nahi hai.”
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