A booth workers’ convention was held in Vadodara in the presence of the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party and former Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. Along with Arvind Kejriwal, state in-charge Gopal Rai, co-in-charge Durgesh Pathak, state president Isudan Gadhvi, MLAs Gopal Italia and Chaitar Vasava, state general secretary Manoj Sorathia, Sagar Rabari, Rajubhai Solanki, Brijraj Solanki, Vadodara Lok Sabha in-charge Viren Rami, Vadodara city president and East Zone in-charge Ashok Oza, Chhota Udepur district president Radhika Rathwa, Narmada district president Niranjan Vasava, and other leaders, as well as a large number of people including Vadodara booth workers, joined this convention.
Addressing the gathering, the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party and former Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, said that today the country believes that the people of Gujarat are prosperous, but in the last several years the Bharatiya Janata Party has looted everything. They have eaten up everything. Today farmers do not get fertilizer, do not get seeds, they have drunk up the irrigation water, they do not get full prices for their crops, BJP leaders have eaten the farmers’ money. BJP people have ruined the condition of government schools, so that a common man cannot educate his children in government schools and is forced to send them to private schools. Private schools are indulging in hooliganism, they are carrying out loot. Why do they loot the poor? They have eaten up your family’s government hospitals. If you go to a government hospital, there are no medicines, no tests, no doctors. Government hospitals have been deliberately destroyed so that if you fall ill you are forced to go to private hospitals. And whose are these private hospitals? BJP leaders’. The private schools are also theirs, the hospitals are also theirs. Today children, even after studying, are sitting unemployed at home. When they go to ask for jobs, fake liquor bottles are put in their hands, bags of drugs and heroin are thrust into their hands. They have drowned the youth in intoxication, they have eaten up your youth and their future.
In the last 30 years, BJP has insulted every Gujarati. It has insulted farmers. Farmers were beaten inside their homes with sticks. This fight is not for power; this is a fight for the dignity of Gujarat. It is a fight for the dignity of Gujaratis, a fight for your dignity. This is not a fight to remove one party and bring another; this is a fight for dignity and justice. Some time ago, an accident happened at Harni lake, in which 12 children and 2 teachers drowned because there were no safety jackets there. The contractor who was given the work was a BJP man. Two years have passed, but not a single person has been punished. The women of these families went to meet the Chief Minister to demand justice, but the police threw them out, insulted them, and then within two days sent the police to demolish their house. What kind of Gujarat is being built? Is this the kind of Gujarat we want?
Arvind Kejriwal further said that every year billions and trillions of rupees come to tribal areas, but that money does not reach you. If it were spent honestly, splendid schools, hospitals, roads, irrigation and free electricity could be provided. From the tribal welfare fund, 50 crore rupees were spent for the Prime Minister’s rally. Samosas worth 2 crores, tents worth 5 crores, buses worth 7 crores—all from the money of tribals. With 50 crores, so many schools and hospitals could have been built. In this way your money has been wasted, that is why the tribal community has been left behind. For 30 years people have been kept suppressed by intimidation, atrocities and insults. But one day comes when a frightened person stands up. Today the entire Gujarat is standing up. Wherever Aam Aadmi Party meetings are held, people throng in large numbers. People are openly saying, “This time change will come.” Arvind Kejriwal said that in the 2027 elections BJP will go and the power of the people of Gujarat will come. Even Congress leaders themselves are saying that now they do not have the strength, because their businesses are connected with BJP. Only the Aam Aadmi Party can defeat BJP, because we do not want government contracts. We only want to serve the people. We will form such a government where farmers will be prosperous, traders will be prosperous and the youth will get employment. Where farmers will get fertilizer on time, seeds on time, irrigation water and full prices for crops. We will make such a Gujarat where roads will be good, excellent government schools and good hospitals will be built. We will make such a Gujarat where there will be no fake liquor and no intoxication.
Addressing the gathering, Aam Aadmi Party Gujarat in-charge Gopal Rai said that workers and active members have rapidly taken forward organizational work across Gujarat. First the “Gujarat Chhodo” campaign was launched, then meetings were held at the district panchayat level, an organizational structure was created, and then meetings were held in village after village and neighborhood after neighborhood. Where speaking less and working more is the quality of a successful organization. In the East Zone convention, workers from all talukas and district panchayats of the state joined, and the organizational structure at the Lok Sabha, taluka and district panchayat levels has been strengthened. This shows that across Gujarat the organization of the Aam Aadmi Party is continuously becoming stronger. Wherever meetings have been held in villages and neighborhoods, now door-to-door campaigns are starting there. I also tell the people of Panchmahal, Anand and Vadodara that there is still time. Form teams for the door-to-door campaign. And build a strong organization at the booth. These BJP people have arrogance about two things. One, that they have been in power for 30 years, and second, that their organization is the strongest. We have to break both the arrogance of power and the arrogance of the organization. For this work, you have to take the door-to-door campaign further ahead.
Aam Aadmi Party Gujarat state president Isudan Gadhvi said that in Gujarat the voice of the people against BJP’s dictatorship, police misuse and corruption is now becoming stronger. The BJP government is misusing the police and the administration to suppress political opponents. Many of our workers have been jailed in false cases. Aam Aadmi Party workers are not afraid of jail. Whether it is one month or three months, we are ready for the struggle. Even if we have to go to jail for truth and public interest, we will not retreat. Accusing the BJP government, he said that BJP has ruined agriculture, business and ordinary public life. It has snatched the rights of the people and handed over wealth to big shots. In cities like Vadodara, despite having a majority, potholes, bad roads and widespread corruption are being seen. Keeping in view the upcoming taluka panchayat, district panchayat, municipality and municipal corporation elections, Isudan Gadhvi appealed to workers to stay away from greed and temptation. BJP will offer temptations by bringing crores of rupees, but this time the people and the workers have united and the time has come to answer BJP.
Addressing the gathering, Aam Aadmi Party Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava said that the BJP government is indulging in low-level politics by uprooting banners, hoardings and party flags to suppress democratic voices. After Ahmedabad, many such incidents have come to light in Vadodara as well, which show the dictatorial mindset of BJP. Just as Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar gave the entire country a Constitution that delivers justice from this land, today the time has come to take a pledge from the cultured city of Vadodara of Sayajirao Gaekwad that in 2027 the dictatorial BJP government of Gujarat will be uprooted. Chaitar Vasava further said that in the upcoming taluka and district panchayat elections, the Aam Aadmi Party will raise a strong voice for workers’ rights. The Aam Aadmi Party will struggle to provide basic facilities like proper wages, bonus, PF, mediclaim to the workers of Gujarat. The exploitation of workers by the present BJP government and some industrialists will no longer be tolerated. In the coming days, every worker and every office-bearer of the Aam Aadmi Party will come out on the streets to fight for the wellbeing of workers and the Aam Aadmi Party will stand completely with the workers. The Aam Aadmi Party has been struggling in Gujarat for justice, the Constitution and workers’ rights, and in the coming times this struggle will become more intense.
At the meeting held in Vadodara, Visavadar MLA Gopal Italia said that when Rajubhai Karpada, Isudan Gadhvi and Chaitar Vasava speak, they awaken courage in thousands of people; when Gopalbhai speaks, the soul of thousands of people awakens; and when the souls of crores of people awaken, then people get the strength to break the arrogance of BJP. Taking a dig at the government, Gopal Italia said that Rajubhai, Chaitarbai, Pravinbhai, Gopalbhai, Kejriwalji and Isudan Gadhvi are all committing the crime of awakening people, that is why they are being threatened with being put in jail. He said that for 30 years people were kept asleep by closing their eyes in the name of Hindu–Muslim and India–Pakistan. In Gujarat the people are becoming more aware and are standing up against the arrogance of BJP. BJP is not afraid of the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, but is afraid that the soul of the people might awaken.
