Battleground Gujarat | BJP-AAP tussle intensifies as Arvind Kejriwal goes on the offensive

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (File photo)

Denied permission to attend a global conference in Singapore, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has decided to head to Gujarat and campaign for his party in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming assembly elections.

Kejriwal had requested Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena seeking permission to visit Singapore to attend the ‘Eighth World Cities Summit and WCS Mayors Forum’, but the request was turned down arguing that the Delhi government does not have an exclusive domain over the issues to be discussed at the conference, and hence it would inappropriate for him to participate in it.

Kejriwal later directly approached the external affairs ministry, and also wrote to the Prime Minister but still didn’t get the political clearance to travel abroad.

The tussle between the Delhi government and the LG has escalated ever since Saxena assumed office in May.

Earlier this month, the LG ordered a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe into the alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s new excise policy. He also gave his nod for an ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) probe into the anomalies in the construction of seven temporary hospitals by the Public Works Department (PWD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AAP has accused Saxena of overstepping his constitutional jurisdiction at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the LG has insisted that he is taking decisions in the interest of the people of Delhi.

That said, the bickering between AAP and the BJP has increased after Kejriwal’s party won a landslide victory in Punjab in March, and sets its eyes on Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which go to polls in November-December.

AAP is going an extra mile in proving wrong its detractors who claimed that Kejriwal’s party is a B-team of the BJP.

By entering the poll fray in Gujarat, Kejriwal seeks to dispel that notion, and show his keenness to take on Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in their home turf.

Kejriwal’s expansion plans are primarily aimed at replacing the Congress nationally. AAP claims to be a credible alternative to the grand old party that is much-weakened now due to a continuous electoral slide, and heightened factionalism.

AAP is in power in Delhi and Punjab, and has two legislators in Goa. It made an impressive entry into Madhya Pradesh earlier this month by winning the mayor’s seat in the Singrauli municipal corporation. Kejriwal hailed the victory as acceptance of honest politics across India.

So far in Gujarat, AAP has successfully seized the first mover advantage over the Congress, and projected itself as the main challenger to the BJP that is ruling the state for the past 27 years.

In what is being seen as a tit-for-tat move, Kejriwal will campaign in Gujarat for four days —August 1, 6, 7 and 10 — to reciprocate the BJP-ruled Centre denying him permission to visit Singapore.

While he has been aggressively campaigning in Gujarat, the Delhi Chief Minister is also occasionally seen in Himachal Pradesh, making his intention and priority clear.

On July 21, Kejriwal visited Surat (in Gujarat), and promised 300 units of free electricity to all domestic consumers besides 24X7 supply to cities and villages across Gujarat if AAP is voted to power. He also promised to waive all pending electricity bills up to December 31, 2021. This is akin to what AAP had pledged in Punjab, and in Uttar Pradesh.

These announcement prompted the Prime Minister to take a ‘revdi culture’ jibe on the freebie politics.

Kejriwal was quick to hit back, saying giving free revdi to the public is good but a sin when given to friends. "Some are speaking about Revadi. If free Revadi is distributed to people it is Prasad, but if it is distributed to friends and ministers, it is a sin. It is wrong to waive off loans of friends,” he said.

The Chief Minister pointed to a recent announcement by the BJP to give up to 150 units of free electricity to the people in Himachal Pradesh if it retained power in the hill state. He also reminded the BJP about its promise to give 200 units of free electricity in West Bengal during the assembly elections last year.

Addressing the 'Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya - Power @2047' programme on July 30, the Prime Minister reiterated his statement, saying the trend of giving freebies in the power sector for political gains is a dangerous trend set by some states that will jeopardise the future of India.

During his visit to Gujarat on July 26, Kejriwal met the families of those who fell ill after drinking spurious liquor at Bhavnagar in Botad district. At least 28 people died due to the consumption of chemical-laced liquor.

This gave strong ammunition to Kejriwal to attack the Bhupendra Patel government, asking if Gujarat is a dry state, then how alcohol is being sold openly, and who is benefitting from its trade? He also claimed that the business of thousands of crores of liquor was running in Gujarat despite a ban.

The assembly elections in Gujarat may still be some months away, but the political temperature has already soared with a bitter tussle between the BJP and AAP. The Congress, instead of being making its presence known, continues to be in deep slumber.