NEW DELHI:
In a powerful display of solidarity against the arrest of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal and perceived threats to democracy by the Modi government, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) orchestrated a massive protest to gherao the Prime Minister’s residence. Despite efforts by the Delhi Police to quell the dissent, impassioned crowds flooded the streets in unwavering support of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal. The protest culminated in a significant gathering at Patel Chowk Metro Station, where supporters bravely confronted police resistance. Over 200 individuals, including peaceful protesters and legislators, were detained, sparking condemnation from the AAP. The party affirmed that the Modi government’s actions stem from fear of Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s influence, vowing that no amount of force will suppress the people’s uprising in his support.
In this protest, Punjab Education Minister and MLA Shri Harjot Singh Bains also participated. Police also detained him and forced him into a vehicle. Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Lok Sabha candidate Shri Somnath Bharti and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and MLA Rakhi Bidlan also reached there to protest, and they too were detained by the police. In addition to this, several leaders of the party, including AAP MLA and SC/ST Wing Chairperson Shri Vishesh Ravi, Youth Wing President Shri Pankaj Gupta, Women’s Wing President Sarika Choudhary, Senior Leader Adil Khan, and Reena Gupta, among others, reached Patel Chowk Metro Station for the gherao of the PM’s residence but were detained.
During this time, AAP workers and supporters chanted slogans vigorously, such as “Arvind Kejriwal Zindabad, Arvind Kejriwal Tum Sangharsh Karo-Hum Tumhare Sath Hain, ED-CBI Murdabad, Jab-Jab Modi Darta Hai-Police Ko Aage Karta Hai, Modi Teri Tanashahi Nahin Chalegi, ED-CBI Ke Dam Par Yeh Sarkar Nahin Chalegi”. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police had already stopped several AAP leaders and workers from reaching the protest site. The police had converted the area around Patel Chowk Metro Station into a barrack.
Even BJP workers describing CM Kejriwal’s arrest wrong: Gopal Rai
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, AAP Delhi State Convenor Shri Gopal Rai said that the authoritarian BJP government has arrested Delhi’s CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal. There is anger among the people of Delhi against this arrest. Even BJP workers are today saying the same thing with subdued voices, that this arrest is wrong. There are disagreements and fights between ruling and opposition parties within parties, but by arresting the elected Chief Minister, the authoritarian government has sent a message that they (BJP’s Central Government) do not believe in any democracy.
“When the ED reached CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s residence to arrest him, people gathered there to protest against it. The more people gathered there, the more police force was deployed, and the entire Chief Minister’s residence was turned into a barrack. The next day, when people arrived to protest at the BJP’s national headquarters against this, police were deployed in every corner of the area. The Aam Aadmi Party office was sealed. Those who were democratically expressing their anger were forcibly detained, including women and the elderly. When people reached Shaheedi Park to take a pledge on the ‘Shaheed Diwas’ of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru, they were also detained,” The AAP Delhi State Convenor added.
Modi ji, this movement will not stop with police help, it will spread across entire country: Gopal Rai
Shri Gopal Rai said that when people went to ask questions at the Prime Minister’s residence against the arrest of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, asking what is BJP’s game of ₹60 crores, jail to the elected Chief Minister, bail out Sarath Reddy? The answer to this has to be given by the Prime Minister of this country. But when questions were asked, the common people and party workers were surrounded from all sides and detained eventually. Women were forcibly detained. Today, the entire Delhi has been turned into a police barrack. If BJP leaders, the central government, central ministers, and the Prime Minister think that they will hide behind the police and not have to answer, then they are in a big misconception. Because the people of this country and Delhi love Shri Arvind Kejriwal.
“The way the central government of the BJP has falsely arrested Shri Arvind Kejriwal in a fake case, the whole truth has come out before the country today. Based on the false testimony of the accused, Shri Arvind Kejriwal was arrested, and he got bail. And ₹60 crores were transferred to BJP’s account. The people understand BJP’s game. The whole country is seeing this naked truth with its own eyes. Section 144 is imposed across Delhi. It seems like Delhi has become a Police State. PM Modi should know that our fight and movement will not stop with the help of your police. This voice is reaching across the entire country,” he affirmed.
Delhi Police is repeatedly sealing AAP office: Gopal Rai
Before the scheduled program of the PM’s residence gherao, Delhi Police sealed the AAP office. Party leaders who reached the office protested against this. Shri Gopal Rai shared, “Despite our repeated objections, Delhi Police barricaded the party office. Such barricades were not placed outside the BJP office. Even when we never demanded barricades from Delhi Police, the route to and from the party office is being blocked with barricades. Today, no one can protest democratically within Delhi. Our party workers are being detained, and the party office is being sealed repeatedly. It has never happened before that the party office had been sealed. Now, after the arrest of Shri Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP will have to answer the anger of the people. That’s why they are hiding behind the police. The fight of the AAP will continue with the people against this dictatorship.”
Main accused in alleged liquor case, Reddy, paid BJP ₹60 crores: Harjot Singh Bains
Punjab’s Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, who reached there to participate in the gherao of the PM’s residence, said that many leaders of the AAP have been imprisoned in completely illegal and fake cases. Shri Manish Sisodia, Shri Sanjay Singh, and now CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal have been arrested. This entire case is completely fake. Even after 2.5 years, the ED could not prove any Money Trail. Meanwhile, the entire world and the country have seen how in the alleged liquor scam, Sarath Chandra Reddy, who was made the main accused by the ED, gave ₹60 crores to the BJP. The money went to the BJP, and there, the Money Trail is completely clear, but no action is being taken.
Police is not letting go even after protest ended: Somnath Bharti
INDIA alliance Lok Sabha candidate from New Delhi, Shri Somnath Bharti said, “On Monday, the Aam Aadmi Party had called for the gherao of the PM’s residence, for which everyone had gathered peacefully at the Patel Chowk metro station to protest. But as per Modi Ji’s orders, Delhi Police loaded people into buses who were protesting peacefully and sent them to distant police stations. I was also taken to the Dwarka Sector 9 police station with many volunteers, including several women volunteers and supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party. The protest has ended, but still, we are not allowed to leave by the police, which is very unfortunate. Whereas our constitution allows us to protest peacefully in this democracy.”
Modi Ji should resign over electoral bond scam: Rakhi Bidlan
Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Rakhi Bidlan, said that those who are involved in scams worth thousands of crores are joining the BJP and are being portrayed as social workers with a clean image, while people who work day and night for the public are being falsely accused. Prime Minister Modi should resign from his post over the electoral bond scam. The way Sarath Chandra Reddy was made an approver by taking money on one hand, today this matter is in front of the whole country through the Supreme Court. In this situation, instead of Shri Arvind Kejriwal, PM Modi should resign.
PM Modi has imposed emergency in country: Reena Gupta
After being detained, Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Reena Gupta said peaceful protest is our legal right. But PM Modi has imposed an emergency in the country. Due to this, leaders and workers of the Aam Aadmi Party cannot even protest. The police have taken us and I don’t know where they are taking us on the bus.
Detaining people going to ask questions from the PM is murder of democracy: Adil Ahmad
Senior AAP leader, Shri Adil Ahmad Khan said that people are very angry over the arrest of CM Shri Kejriwal in a fake case. AAP workers and people of Delhi were planning to march towards the PM’s residence, but they were stopped. This is shameful. Today people in the country cannot even raise their voices. There is police deployment all around Delhi, this is the utmost form of dictatorship. The BJP turned Sarath Chandra Reddy into a government approver and coerced him to give false statements against Shri Arvind Kejriwal, in this way, the BJP orchestrated the arrest of Shri Arvind Kejriwal, while also receiving ₹60 crores from Sarath Chandra Reddy. We want to tell the BJP that today every person in Delhi is Arvind Kejriwal. Whom will you arrest, whom will you beat with sticks? The Hitlership of PM Modi and BJP has come to an end.
Doctors supporting CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal also detained
A large number of doctors came out in support of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal and began protesting against the authoritarianism of the central government at Patel Chowk in Delhi. During this time, the police detained the doctors. The detained doctors said they had no idea where the police were taking them. The police didn’t even inform them of their destination. Is there no longer a right to protest and raise our voices in this country? Today, democracy in the country is on the brink of extinction. This is not just the fight of the Aam Aadmi Party; it is the fight of the common people of the country. If we don’t unite today to oppose this law and the BJP, one day democracy will completely vanish from this country.
Police drag activists; clothes torn
When AAP workers reached Gherao PM’s residence, the Delhi Police attempted to stop them by using force. During this, the AAP workers expressed their opposition and lay down on the ground. The police forcefully pushed the activists from the road and made them sit in buses. Many workers’ clothes were torn during this. The workers shouted slogans, “The revolutionary movement will not stop now, the tyrants will not overpower the patriots, we will fight, and we will win.”
Police ill-treat media personnel
The police ill-treated several journalists covering the peaceful protest of the Aam Aadmi Party. The police attempted to stop the journalists and began harassing journalists who were speaking with supporters of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal from various parts of Delhi. The party, through its Twitter handle, released some photos, stating that the authoritarian Modi government has stretched its hand so far with the law that now this hand has reached the neck of the media.
Delhi Police give BJP an open pass for demonstration
The Aam Aadmi Party criticized the Delhi Police for adopting a double standard in handling similar situations. The party stated that the police stopped and detained workers who went to the PM’s residence Gherao as part of a pre-planned program at various places. Meanwhile, during the same period, the BJP also demonstrated outside the Delhi Secretariat, but the Delhi Police gave the BJP an open pass for the demonstration. The AAP affirmed that it’s a case of the same day, one Delhi, and two laws. Our party workers were apprehended by the police while the BJP was given an open pass for the demonstration.
