Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will release the Aam Aadmi Party’s ‘Dalit manifesto’ in poll-bound Punjab this week, where the scheduled caste community makes up around 32 per cent of the population. Kejriwal will release the first-of-its-kind document, targeting a specific community and detailing its “systemic oppression”, during his 10-day-long visit to the State, which began on Sunday. The manifesto is a product of the ‘Dalit Dialogue’ series held by the party across Punjab that began in August.
“Around 10-12 dialogues have been organised in Dalit-majority areas of the State. Essentially members of the community came and freely exchanged views and gave suggestions to be included in the document,” said AAP’s national organisation-building head Durgesh Pathak. Its launch will be the highlight of Kejriwal’s tour, where he will address 21 rallies, said Pathak.
During the open sessions, members of the Dalit community were also given a form where they could put in their feedback and recommendations which have been factored in while drafting it, said Pathak. The issue of demonetisation is also expected to prominently feature in the rallies that the AAP chief is scheduled to address.
AAP is locked in a triangular contest with the Congress and incumbent BJP-SAD alliance in the State.