launches Jhadu Chalao Yatra; Kejri to address rally in Rohtak on Feb 23
A day after Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation as Delhi Chief Minister, the AAP on Saturday announced that it would launch its nationwide campaign for the forthcoming lok Sabha polls from February 23 with a rally at Rohtak in Haryana. Speaking to reporters after the political affairs committee (PAC) meeting, party leader Yogendra Yadav said, “The rally will be addressed by party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal. After Haryana, the party will hold its second rally at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on March 2.”
“Both these rallies will launch Aam Aadmi Party’s national campaign,” Yadav said. The party also announced to kick-start its nationwide anti-corruption campaign ‘Jhadu Chalao Yatra’ from Saturday.
“In 332 lok Sabha seats of 24 States, around 2,500 yatras, starting from today, will be organised in the next ten days. We will expose the Congress and the BJP for defending corrupt persons during this campaign. Besides, party will also make new members,” party leader Gopal Rai said.
Of the 2,627 yatras, the party will undertake a chunk of it, around 461, in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 450 in Haryana and over 300 in Maharashtra, 270 in Bihar and 174 in Punjab. These are the States where the party aims to dent the Congress and the BJP strongholds. AAP leader Prashant Bhushan held the BJP and the Congress responsible for the fall of the Arvind Kejriwal Government.
“From the beginning, the Congress and the BJP were against this (Jan lokpal) Bill and that is why they didn’t support the Government. leaders of both the parties’ don’t want the country to be corruption-free,” he told reporters.
“AAP has been formed to root out corruption from the country. Passing the Jan lokpal Bill in the Assembly was the first priority of the AAP Government. As we were not allowed to pass this Bill, we did not have an option but to get out of the Government,” Bhushan said.
“Getting official posts in the Government was not the motive of our party. Our party’s motive is to change the system, but we are not being allowed to implement our motive, then there is no benefit to run the Government,” he said.