AAP’s Delhi State Convenor and former minister Gopal Rai held a key meeting on Monday with leaders of the Delhi state unit to strategise future course of action. He said AAP MLAs will fight for the people’s interests in the Assembly, while the party’s organisation will do so on the streets.
Gopal Rai called out the BJP for using money, muscle, and deceit in the elections but noted that 43.6% of Delhi’s voters still stand with Arvind Kejriwal. He also slammed the BJP for failing to name a Chief Minister even 10 days after the results, calling it proof that the party never had a leader for Delhi.
In a press conference, Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai highlighted that during the Delhi Assembly elections, the people of Delhi gave 43.6% of the votes to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and 45.6% of the votes to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He said, “The BJP received only 2% more votes than the AAP.”
He further stated that despite this, the BJP openly violated the Election Commission’s rules within Delhi. He added, “They used all means—money, muscle power, deceit, and manipulation.” Gopal Rai said that the people of Delhi rejected all pressure and influence, placing their trust in Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the work of the AAP government.
He added, “A significant 43.6% of Delhi voters openly declared that they stand with the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal. This is a remarkable statement by the people, considering that the entire central government, the entire BJP organization nationwide, all BJP MPs across the country, all BJP state governments, and all BJP legislators from across the country campaigned together against AAP.”
Gopal Rai emphasised that despite this massive campaign, the people of Delhi stood firmly with the Aam Aadmi Party. He added, “This support from the people is a source of satisfaction and pride for us and for the Aam Aadmi Party.”
The AAP leader said, “Because the kind of election that took place in Delhi this time has never happened before. Such a large-scale use of money power has never been witnessed, nor have voters been intimidated to this extent. Yet, despite all this, the people of Delhi stood firmly with us on such a large scale, which is reflected in the seat count of 22 and 48.”
He further stated, “However, the voters who supported us have our full commitment. Today, we held a meeting with the Vice Presidents of the Delhi state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party, the state organization secretaries, and our district presidents.”
Gopal Rai stated that AAP has decided that the entire organization will stand with the people of Delhi with full strength. He added, “Together with them, we will support their struggles, and we will raise our voice against any anti-people policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.”
He further said, “Additionally, our party organization, from the state level down to the booth level, will remain vigilant and continuously confront the BJP with tough questions regarding their promises. We will demand that the BJP government fulfill every commitment they made to the people during the elections.”
Gopal Rai highlighted that it has been ten days since the election results, but the BJP has still not been able to decide who will be the Chief Minister of Delhi. He said, “This clearly indicates that the BJP neither had a candidate for Chief Minister before the elections nor do they have one now.”
He continued, “Otherwise, in a state like Delhi, where the party’s top leadership and all senior leaders are actively engaged, a decision would have been made by now. Despite all their internal discussions and exercises, the BJP leadership has failed to reach a conclusion.”
“They have repeatedly stated that the decision will be made only after the Prime Minister returns from his foreign trip, exposing their lack of preparation and leadership in Delhi,” Gopal Rai added.
He highlighted that the announcement made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that the Chief Minister would be decided once the Prime Minister returned from his foreign trip. He said, “However, even after his return, no decision has been reached, and they continue to push dates further, announcing one meeting after another for deciding the Chief Minister.”
Gopal Rai stated, “This situation signals that the BJP, despite being handed power by the people of Delhi for the first time in this manner, is repeating the same pattern from their previous rule when they changed three Chief Ministers within five years.”
He stated that the kind of internal tussle, factionalism, and power struggle visible within the BJP clearly indicates that Delhi may once again witness a scenario where three Chief Ministers are changed within a five-year term.
He added, “Even if a name is finalized, the ongoing internal conflict within the BJP suggests that Delhi will face an unstable government where those not chosen for the post will constantly try to unseat the one who becomes Chief Minister. The signs are reminiscent of the experiences from BJP’s previous government in Delhi.”
He said that in this situation, the people of Delhi have entrusted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with the responsibility of sitting in the opposition. Gopal Rai added, “We will play the role of a constructive opposition not only inside the Assembly but also outside it.”
Gopal Rai continued, “Our entire party organization, from the grassroots level to the neighborhood level, will stand firm in its opposition role. The 43.6% mandate given to us by the people of Delhi is a responsibility, and we are committed to safeguarding their trust and aspirations.”
Gopal Rai emphasised that AAP has taken some important decisions. He said, “First, we will initiate the process of restructuring our organization to address and correct any weaknesses and strengthen our party further. For this purpose, on the 19th, we are convening a meeting with all 70 district secretaries who were in charge of the Assembly constituencies, all 70 Assembly presidents, and all 70 Assembly organization ministers.”
He further said, “Through this meeting, we will gather feedback from every Assembly level. Furthermore, on the 22nd, we will hold a meeting with all provincial office-bearers of our organization to review and further strengthen our organizational framework.”
Gopal Rai emphasised and said that the Aam Aadmi Party will hold a meeting with all state office-bearers, including the state president, organization secretaries, vice presidents, and secretaries. He said, “In this meeting, we will review the role of each member during the election campaign.”
He continued, “Following this, we will gradually proceed with the reorganization of our party structure from the Assembly level to the Mandal level. Our legislative party will strongly play its role in the Assembly as a responsible opposition to safeguard the interests of the people, while our organizational network will march forward on the streets with equal determination.”
“We had been waiting for the BJP to finalize its Chief Minister and form the Cabinet so that we could frame our strategy accordingly. However, after waiting endlessly and receiving one date after another, we are now disappointed and have decided to move forward with our organizational activities without waiting any longer,” he said.
He stated that although the BJP has received the mandate, the ongoing internal factionalism and power struggles within their party are evident. He concluded by stating, “The people of Delhi gave us massive support, and to protect their trust and amplify their voice, the Aam Aadmi Party has launched a structured organizational campaign from today, which we will further strengthen in the coming days.”
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