Despite a heavy police deployment, Kejriwal threatens to sit in protest at India’s Free Press Journal
Claims of a Systematic Expansion
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, has made serious charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that there has been a coordinated attempt to weaken and destroy the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This alleged campaign, code-named “Operation Jhaadu” (Operation Broom), is allegedly designed to arrest top AAP officials, take the party’s financial resources, and eventually bring down the entire organization.
Kejriwal asserts that a number of people who have met with the Prime Minister have conveyed a consistent message: Modi has expressed concerns regarding the AAP’s explosive growth and growing power, viewing it as a serious threat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the state and federal levels. As a result, it is said that the prime minister has made the decision to act swiftly to neutralize this perceived threat.
Said Strategies and Objectives
According to Kejriwal, numerous AAP leaders have already been arrested as part of this purported “Operation Jhaadu,” and additional arrests are planned in the near future. He specifically brought up Sanjay Singh, Satyendar Jain, and Manish Sisodia’s imprisonment as well as the recent arrest of his personal aide.
Additionally, according to Kejriwal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has declared in court that it intends to take the AAP’s bank accounts following the elections. The Delhi CM also claims that the party may be forced to quit its office space.
According to Kejriwal, plans are in place to have Atishi, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha, and Atishi arrested along with other AAP leaders who are allegedly being targeted.
Plans for Disobedience and Protest
Kejriwal has pledged to lead a protest march towards the BJP headquarters in response to these purported activities, and senior AAP officials, MPs, ministers, MLAs, and party workers will join him. The plan is for marching as far as is legal and holding a 30-minute sit-in protest. Kejriwal has termed it a loss for the BJP if the protestors are not detained within this time.
In a defiant letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal further said that hundreds of AAP leaders would rise up to take the leadership if one is arrested. He has pledged that such strategies will not bring down the party, which he says embodies the aspirations of 140 crore (1.4 billion) Indians.
Charges of Political Retaliation
The AAP national convenor has said that the charges and cases brought against AAP leaders are false and unfounded, and he has accused the BJP-led central government of having a political vendetta against his party. Kejriwal has questioned the absence of proof in the purported liquor scam case, claiming that despite the arrests made in connection with the investigation, no money has been found.