The BJP’s so-called Mega Protest & Indefinite Hunger Strike against Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal turned out to be a complete failure. The protest site was completely abandoned even at 10:30 AM. AAP Senior Leader and MLA Shri Durgesh Pathak, called BJP’s ‘fast unto death’ against Shri Arvind Kejriwal a mere gimmick. He stated that the BJP had no real agenda and that its workers knew it very well. He further added that the AAP had clicked pictures of BJP’s protest site at 8:30, 9:30 & 10:30 AM, and there was not a single person around.
Shri Durgesh Pathak has also challenged the BJP to release the list and medical reports of its leaders fasting unto death by evening. He said that if they failed to do so, it would become apparent that their protest was just a farce. This incident once again proves that the BJP is not serious about solving the problems of the people of Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party urges the BJP to focus on real issues and work towards the betterment of the people.
Addressing a press conference, Shri Durgesh Pathak said that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also often referred to as the “Bharatiya Nautanki Party” because of its antics, has started another ‘nautanki’ in Delhi. He added that the leaders of the BJP have not been able to digest the good work done by AAP-led government in Delhi and therefore in their anger against AAP, they keep coming up with new antics to stop the developmental works of Delhi.
He said that the latest ‘nautanki’ that was started by the BJP claimed that Shri Arvind Kejriwal has wasted public funds in renovating the official residence of the Chief Minister, and therefore the leaders of the BJP would participate in a ‘Vishal Dharna’ and sit on an indefinite hunger strike. Highlighting that the BJP does not believe in politics of development and only indulges in negative politics, Shri Durgesh Pathak said that their Vishal Dharna has been a huge failure. He went on to share some photos of the site of BJP’s Vishal Dharna at 8:30 am, 9:30 am and 10:30 am on Wednesday morning and not a single person could be seen at the venue. Despite the organisers earlier saying that the dharna would begin at 9 am, the venue at all the three time slots was absolutely deserted. He highlighted how besides the public, even the workers of the BJP had not reached the venue for the protest as they were aware that the party was indulging in ‘politics of lies’.
He said that the public and the workers of the BJP have themselves rejected this dharna that was started by their own leaders. He pointed out how in the recent years the BJP has time and again gone on to lose the Vidhan Sabha elections to the Aam Aadmi Party. Last year, they were also defeated in the MCD polls. “This has happened because the residents of Delhi love their leader Shri Arvind Kejriwal. The people are aware that he is the only leader who is working for the development of Delhi and working day and night to bring positive changes to this city. Therefore when the BJP indulges in such negative politics, the people do not come out to support the party. What is even more surprising over here is that the party workers of the BJP themselves are not coming out to support the party,” he said.
Shri Durgesh Pathak went on to add that after seeing no participants at the dharna site at 10:30 am, he called up a leader in the BJP and asked him why the party workers were not protesting at the site. “This BJP leader told me that every party worker was aware that there is no substance to this allegation against the Delhi CM. He knew that his party is indulging in negative politics as they had nothing against AAP leaders. He also added that it is the CM’s residence that’s been renovated and not the private residence of Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Tomorrow when a CM from some other political party is elected, this individual will also live in this official residence,” he said.
When asked by Shri Durgesh Pathak as to why other senior leaders of the BJP were unable to understand this point, this BJP leader said that he failed to understand why his party was trying to politicise this matter. This leader also told Shri Durgesh Pathak that the BJP is losing the support of the people of Delhi every single day because the senior leaders of the party are completely cut off with the situation of the party on the ground.
Highlighting how the BJP has made a mockery of the term ‘indefinite hunger strike’ in this case, Shri Durgesh Pathak explained that a real indefinite hunger strike means that the participants do not eat anything until their demands are met. He highlighted how during India Against Corruption movement, Shri Arvind Kejriwal had been on an indefinite hunger strike for a period of 16 days, and during this time he survived only on water.
Shri Durgesh Pathak said that first of all not a single person can be seen at the site of their dharna, but assuming that as claimed by the BJP some of their party workers are participating in an indefinite hunger strike, he said that AAP demands that the BJP make public the list of people who are on this hunger strike. Adding that today is the third day since the BJP announced the dharna, he said, “If a person has been on indefinite hunger strike for even three days, there will be a decrease in their body weight, their keto levels will drop and their blood pressure will also be constantly shooting up and down. So, AAP demands that the BJP leadership also release the medical report of all these people who are participating in this indefinite hunger strike. If required the Delhi Government can also send medical personnel from LNJP Hospital for this purpose. If the BJP does not release the medical report by today evening, then it will become clear to the public that all of this was nothing but lies,” he said.
He concluded by saying that the people of Delhi have immense trust and faith in the politics of Shri Arvind Kejriwal and therefore the BJP should stop indulging in such ‘nautanki’ in the future. “This Vishal Dharna is nothing but a big lie. The people of Delhi have rejected this campaign of the BJP. The BJP has been unable to find even one person who could sit on this so-called indefinite hunger strike. This entire drama of the BJP has failed because the people of Delhi have rejected their campaign,” he said.
