Manish Sisodia cancels Surat visit due to 'ill health'

Sisodia was due to induct a known businessman into the Aam Aadmi Party

Nearly four hours after Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia announced on Twitter that he will be visiting Surat to meet party workers and hold an "important press conference" there, he cancelled the trip citing ill health.

He informed this in another tweet, stating that "due to ill health I have to cancel tomorrow's program as per the doctor's advice."

Local AAP leaders maintained that the visit was canceled purely on health grounds, however, the turn of events has not gone down well in the party. "If it's not just the health, the event should have been continued by some other leaders as it won't send the right message in the party," said a party leader.

When contacted, AAP's state president Gopal Italia told DH over phone, "The event was postponed purely on health grounds. There is no other reason behind it. We are going to do what we have already decided very soon. There is no change of plan."

Read | Arvind Kejriwal inaugurates Gujarat AAP office

After taking a popular vernacular news anchor in its fold, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), aggressively expanding its base in Gujarat ahead of 2022 Assembly polls, was to induct a well-known Surat-based businessman from Patidar community into the party.

Sisodia was scheduled to land in Surat on Thursday morning for the formal induction of the businessman popular for his philanthropic works in the city.

Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Ahmedabad to announce former news anchor Isudan Gadhvi joining the AAP, and on Thursday his deputy Sisodia will announce the name of the businessman joining the party. The identity of the businessman hasn't been announced officially yet but sources said that he has been part of the Patidar Anamat Anandolan Samiti (PAAS), which led the Patidar agitation for reservation in 2015. Party officials said that they are not disclosing the name of the businessman fearing pressure from the BJP. The event (induction) has been organised at a private school.

Surat, also known as "diamond city", is the first place in the state which has provided the Delhi-based party a foot in the door in state's electoral politics earlier this year, when it won 27 seats, out of 120, in Surat Municipal Corporation. The AAP's performance was largely due to support from the Patidar community, which also ousted the Congress from the local body and replaced AAP as the principal opposition party.

"The Aam Aadmi Party is getting stronger day by day in Gujarat, which is a matter of pride for all of us. To meet you all once again and to give you good news, tomorrow I am coming to Garvi Gujarat!" Sisodia informed in a tweet.

Rahul Gandhi to attend court proceeding in Surat

Meanwhile, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also slated to arrive in Surat on Thursday to attend a court hearing in connection with a defamation case filed against him for his alleged remarks against "Modi community." Several senior party leaders from the state including president Amit Chavda, leader of opposition in the assembly Paresh Dhanani, among others, are camping in Surat to receive Gandhi. He will be arriving at around 10 AM and will return by 12:30 PM after his appearance.

Gandhi is facing the defamation case for his speech during the Lok Sabha poll campaign in 2019 in Karnataka, where he reportedly ramarked while referring to "Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi" that "how come all the thieves have Modi as surname." The defamation case has been filed by Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA in Surat, alleging that Rahul Gandhi's remarks are defamatory against "Modi community".