Arvind Kejriwal launches AAP membership drive in Gujarat; alleges BJP-Congress collusion in state

Ahmedabad: Days after a decisive victory in the Visavadar bye-election, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a statewide membership drive in Ahmedabad, aiming for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections.

Addressing the crowd at the launch of the 'Gujarat Jodo' campaign, Kejriwal said, "The victory of Gopal Italia in the Visavadar bypoll wasn’t just a win. It was a divine message. Typically, the party in power wins bye-elections, but Italia’s victory was three times larger than the AAP candidate’s in 2022, showing it (is) god's blessings."

Attacking the ruling BJP and the chief opposition party Congress, Kejriwal likened the relationship between the two as "lovers who can’t come out due to societal fear."

He slammed both the parties, pointing to recent corruption scandals in the MNREGA works involving BJP minister's sons and Congress leaders.

"For the last 30 years, Congress has been hand-in-glove with the BJP. Seventy per cent of contracts go to the BJP, and thirty per cent to Congress. Congress is in the pocket of the BJP—they work for them," Kejriwal alleged.

Kejriwal claimed that AAP would emerge as the dominant force in Gujarat by 2027, while urging workers to reach out to every family in the state—targeting the 7 crore Gujaratis to get rid of BJP and Congress.

Kejriwal also took a jibe at Gujarat BJP president and Union Minister C R Patil, accusing him of luring opposition MLAs into the BJP.

Attacking Patil for his alleged comments in Visavadar about two more AAP MLAs in touch with him, Kejriwal said: "Have some shame and fear of God. We all must face God after death. When God asks you what you did on earth, how will you answer? You were in power for 30 years and what did you do? Where are the schools, hospitals, and jobs for the people?"