Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is visiting Gujarat over next two days and is expected to meet the AAP candidates for upcoming state assembly elections in the state. Sources in the know say that after the reports emerged that Medha Patkar will likely be the chief minister candidate for AAP in Gujarat, 13 out of 19 leaders who were given the ticket for upcoming elections have decided to quit the party. Kejriwal is likely to hold a meeting on Friday evening to pacify them.
Earlier this week, reports had emerged that anti-Gujarat ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ ‘activist’ Medha Patkar would be the chief ministerial candidate for Gujarat for AAP. This came as a surprise to many because till now it was AAP Gujarat chief Isudan Gadhvi who was believed to be the favourite candidate. However, things got more wind when AAP MP Sanjay Singh retweeted a video hailing Medha Patkar and the same was later amplified by Isudan Gadhvi.
Medha Patkar is not the most liked person in Gujarat because of her anti-Gujarat stand especially her role in stalling the Sardar Sarovar Dam work which kept Gujarat dry for decades. Parts of Gujarat are just receiving Narmada water because the dam height work was stalled by the likes of Patkar. Obviously, people of Gujarat have not forgiven her.
Patkar had earlier joined Aam Aadmi Party in 2014 ahead of general elections, but had eventually resigned from the party in 2015. And while she has not officially announced her return to mainstream politics, Aam Aadmi Party has also not denied in as many words that Medha Patkar will not be the CM candidate for party in upcoming polls.
Medha Patkar, over and above having an anti-Gujarat stand, is also accused of misusing funds. An FIR was lodged against her in July this year accusing her of misappropriating funds. Prior to this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also filed an FIR against activist Medha Patkar on April 5 this year for suspected money laundering during the “Narmada Bachao Andolan”. In addition to the ED, investigations into Patkar’s shady dealings have also been initiated by the Department of Revenue Intelligence and the Income Tax Department.
Speaking of shady dealings, AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also under CBI inquiry for the excise policy scam. Sources also say that AAP candidates are unhappy over the allegations of corruption on Sisodia.
