On 28th January (Sunday), Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National convener Arvind Kejriwal announced that his party would contest all 90 assembly seats in Haryana on its own. However, the AAP Supremo added that his party would fight as part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. According to his announcement, AAP will fight against its I.N.D.I. Alliance partner Congress months after the General election, alluding that the alliance could unravel a few months after the Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing the party’s ‘Badlaav Jansabha’ event in Jind, Kejriwal said, “Today people only have trust in one party, which is AAP. On one side, they see Punjab, and on the other, our government in Delhi. Today, Haryana is seeking a big change. In Delhi and Punjab, people made this big change earlier and now they are happy.”
He added that the AAP would contest all the 90 assembly seats in Haryana on its own, but the Lok Sabha polls would be fought as part of the INDIA bloc.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present at the event when Kejriwal made the above announcement.
Notably, the Lok Sabha polls are due in April-May this year whereas Haryana Assembly elections would be held later this year. The Delhi CM’s announcement comes as a major setback for Congress as AAP candidates would also contest against their I.N.D.I. alliance partner Congress and hamper its chances against the ruling party BJP which is in government in alliance with JJP.
Meanwhile claiming victimhood of BJP’s might, Kejriwal said that he is not scared of going to jail. He alleged that “they (BJP) have used all its might to arrest him”.
He added, “They have left the Income Tax Department, the CBI, the ED, and the Delhi Police after me. I am not scared of going to jail.” Kejriwal further claimed, “I belong to Haryana and I want to tell them that do not try to scare a ‘Haryanawala’. I am the son of Haryana.”
Addressing the event, he fumed that it seems like the country’s biggest terrorist is Kejriwal adding that he is “kattar imaandaar” and “kattar desh bhakt”.
Claiming that he is a devout Hanuman and Ram Bhakt, he said, “I am Lord Ram’s and Lord Hanuman’s follower. With inspiration from ‘Ram Rajya’, we are running our administration in Delhi and Punjab. We are not here for power, but to serve.”
Earlier, the I.N.D.I. alliance partner AAP had given a major setback to Congress after Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced that his party would contest alone on all 13 seats in Punjab in the Lok Sabha elections.