AAP-Roaching Plan B: Opinion Polls, Swing Mood in Favour of Delhi CM Kejriwal in Case of Arrest & for 2024

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is systematically unfolding its plan B in view of the impending arrest of its convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

From December 1-20, the party will launch a signature campaign, ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’, across Delhi. This will be followed by five days of public meetings between December 21 and 24 in all 250 wards. The attempt will be to gather people’s opinion on whether Kejriwal should resign if arrested, or if he should continue to govern Delhi from jail. It also marks the formal launch of the AAP’s 2024 election campaign on the ground in Delhi, following Kejriwal’s declaration during the karyakarta sammelan on November 17.

“From December 1-20, the party will launch a signature campaign, ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’, across 2,600 polling stations… The party has prepared a pamphlet, which will discuss how the alleged scam is fabricated , why Modiji wants to arrest Arvind Kejriwal , whether he can match Kejriwal’s work, does Modiji stand against corruption. Finally, the question will be — Should Kejriwal resign, if arrested?” said AAP’s Delhi in-charge and AAP minister Gopal Rai.

The minister also said that in the second phase of the exercise, public meetings will be held in all wards of Delhi.

ED SUMMONED KEJRIWAL ON NOV 2

The CM was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear on November 2, which Kejriwal missed and chose to challenge the ED notice instead.

The Delhi CM has already been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise case on April 16 for about nine hours. Three top leaders of the party, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh, are already behind bars, and, so is communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

“…..they are conspiring to finish off Kejriwal’s government, stem the growth of AAP and have built up a fabricated liquor scam. Arrests of AAP leaders in the same have been started by the country’s prime minister. Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was arrested, RS MP Sanjay Singh was arrested, minister Satyendar Jain was arrested, however, inspite of these arrests, the BJP feels that it will not be able to harm AAP, it will not be able to break its MLAs. Therefore, they have started preparations for Kejriwal’s arrest. The purpose behind this conspiracy is if Kejriwal is arrested, maybe, the Delhi government can be finished, the party can be finished,” said Rai.

OPINION TAKING TO BUILDING: THE PAMPHLET

The AAP in Delhi has tried to galvanise its cadre for this massive mass contact programme. It is as much an “opinion taking” exercise as it is for “opinion building” and garnering sympathy and support for the party ahead of the 2024 elections. The pamphlets that the AAP would be distributing encapsulate exactly what Kejriwal had said on November 17 while addressing the party’s workers.

It has four points – ‘Liquor scam is fabricated’, ‘Modiji is unable to match Kejriwal’s work’, ‘Is Modi ji fighting corruption?’ and ‘Should Kejriwal upon being arrested resign or run the government from the jail?’ The last point says: ‘Some people say that Kejriwal ji should not get trapped in the BJP’s conspiracy. After arrest, Kejriwal ji should not resign, he should run the government from the jail. All files will go to the jail. He may hold all meetings with officers in jail. The people of Delhi had cast their vote to make Kejriwal the chief minister. All promises made to the people of Delhi, Kejriwal ji may fulfil from the jail. If people like Kejriwal’s work, they will vote for Kejriwal again.’

The pamphlet ends with the question, ‘After being arrested what do you think Kejriwal ji should do — resign or run the government from the jail?’ Rai said, “The BJP senses defeat in the 2024 elections and is arresting leaders of INDIA bloc. In Delhi, this campaign marks the beginning of the Lok Sabha campaign.”

POLITICAL CAPITAL OUT OF ADVERSITY?

Along with Rai, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, MLA Kuldeep Kumar, and former law minister Jitender Singh Tomar were also part of the press conference.

AAP’s MP Raghav Chadha claimed, “If the BJP perceives a threat from any party, it is from Arvind Kejriwal. Just as Kamsa knew that Devakinandan Bhagwan Shri Krishna is his nemesis, the BJP also knows that its nemesis is Arvind Kejriwal. And just as Kamsa made many unsuccessful attempts to stop Bhagwan Shri Krishna, the BJP is making all possible attempts to stop Kejriwal and finish AAP.”

Chadha said: “In this powerplay, the BJP’s last throw of dice is the arrest of Kejriwal. The BJP feels by arresting Kejriwal, it can finish the AAP and government. However, I would like to tell the BJP that all AAP legislators and workers have requested the chief minister to continue to govern Delhi from behind bars. The BJP definitely wants Kejriwal to resign and the government to be dysfunctional. However, we will not let that happen, even if it may require that cabinet meetings be held in jail or crucial decisions be taken from inside jail or even authorities going to jail to sign files.”

In the past one month, AAP supremo has held separate meetings with AAP MLAs, councillors, MPs and office-bearers to chalk out a strategy. The party’s top leadership that enjoyed the chief minister’s trust is now behind bars. The proposal that emerged from the party is even if Kejriwal is arrested, the government should be run from jail and the chief minister should not resign. The opinion of the Delhiites would determine the next course of action.

This is not the first time that Kejriwal has fallen back on people’s opinion when the party stands at crossroads, once again.

It is plain that the AAP finds itself in an extremely adverse situation. Kejriwal has always sought to build political capital out of adversity. And once again, he is using the connect he enjoys with the people of Delhi to have their ears.