To protest against the fraud committed in the Chandigarh mayoral elections held on January 30, Aam Aadmi Party held a massive demonstration against the Bharatiya Janata Party here on Friday. A large number of ministers, leaders and workers joined the protest despite house arrest of AAP leaders by the police and stopping them at various places, and marched towards the BJP headquarters, but the police stopped everyone using force.
Many party leaders, including MLAs and councillors were also detained by the police. During this, along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP’s National Convenor and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal also reached the party headquarters.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that the BJP stole votes in Chandigarh Mayor elections and they are a threat to the democracy of the country. “To save democracy and the country, we will take to the streets, if required. They have the misconception that by stopping the public they will silence its voice. The more they stop the public, the louder their voice will be,” he said.
On this occasion, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, AAP National General Secretary (Organization) Dr. Sandeep Pathak, Delhi State Convener Gopal Rai, Cabinet Ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj, Imran Hussain and Raaj Kumar Anand Anand and other senior leaders were present.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said we had heard that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been committing electoral fraud by rigging EVMs, deleting names and adding fake names to voter lists but never found any proof. However, this time around they have been caught committing fraud on camera, he added, referring to the cheating in the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
Quoting the Bhagvad Gita, he said, “Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavti Bharat…(whenever the recession of Dharma and the ascension of Adharma happens, I descend upon the earth. Bhagwan niche nahi aate, wo uper hi apni jhaadoo chalate hain (God does not descend upon the earth, He sweeps evil with his broom up there.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said the Presiding Officer in the Chandigarh mayoral elections, a BJP functionary, was caught cheating red-handed on camera.
Addressing the AAP cabinet ministers, leaders and workers at the party headquarters, Shri Arvind Kejriwal shouted a slogan, “Gali-gali mein shor hai, BJP vote chor hai” (There is noise in every street, BJP is a vote thief), which was reciprocated by the audience with the slogan, “Modi teri tanashahi nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (Modi, your dictatorship will not last). AAP workers were seen holding placards with slogans, “Gali-gali mein shor hai, BJP vote chor hai” (There is noise in every street, BJP is a vote thief), “Chor Machaye Show, BJP voton ka chor” (Thieves create noise; BJP is thief of votes) and waving the AAP flag.
Giving details of the developments that took place in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, he said there are 36 councillors: INDIA alliance has 20 votes and BJP (and it allies) has 16 votes. “The mayor should have been on the INDIA block (AAP+Congress). But a BJP worker was made the Presiding Officer for the poll. Each vote was to be seen by the counting agent of the participating political parties. But he counted all the votes on his own without showing it to the counting agents and invalidated 8 votes of INDIA bloc councillors. He was caught on live camera putting marks on AAP votes to invalidate them and declared the BJP candidate as mayor.”
The AAP National Convenor said it does not matter whether the mayor is of this party or that party but there should be no cheating. “Chandigarh election was very small election and the world’s largest party (BJP) was found cheating in the election. If they did it in such a small election, what they would be doing in assembly and Lok Sabha elections. They can sell the country for power, but we will not allow it,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said these people are under the misconception that they will silence everyone’s voice, the more they stop the public, the louder will be its voice.
He said for today’s protest, AAP leaders and workers coming from Haryana, Punjab and various parts of Delhi were stopped from coming to the party office. “But they have stopped everyone and have made entire Delhi a cantonment. How can these people stop the public from coming? People were not coming to commit any violence. Our party is a party that emerged from the movement. We have carried out big movements. They have the misconception that if they stop the public then their voice will be silenced. Rather, the more these people try to stop the public, the louder their voice will be,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said there are reports of AAP MLAs, councillors, volunteers and general public being detained from many places. This is not right, this is wrong. We strongly condemn this, he added.
The AAP National Convenor cautioned the people of the country and said after voting your people think that you have voted for your favorite candidate, but it is not known what happens to your vote after that. “You press someone’s button inside the machine but the vote goes to someone else’s account. Anyone’s name is also removed from the voter list. If democracy itself is in danger, then there will be no use of elections. Therefore, we all have to together raise our voice against it. Democracy must not be allowed to die under any circumstances,” he said.
Accompanied by his Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, Shri Arvind Kejriwal led protestors to the BJP headquarters nearby. He appealed to his supporters not to confront with the police and restrict their peaceful march to the point where the police stop them.
Holding placards with slogans, “Gali-gali mein shor hai, BJP vote chor hai” and “Chor Machaye Shor, BJP voton ka chor” and waving their party flag thousands of AAP workers marched towards the BJP headquarters, situated nearly on the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg.
In 2024, if BJP government comes to power again, elections will never be held in future, and Modi Ji will remain the Prime Minister for life: Sardar Bhagwant Mann
Meanwhile, Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann stated that during the Chandigarh mayoral elections on January 30, it was observed in a video that an individual was tampering with the Aam Aadmi Party votes, placing them in BJP’s box. The BJP’s planning in the video was not disclosed, or else they would have shut it down. The BJP has done this before, but it’s the first time such footage has surfaced. They did this in Delhi during the MCD elections. The BJP didn’t want these elections; we went through the courts to conduct them, but the result is now evident to the entire nation. Why spend so much on elections, they should announce dictatorship in the country? Then they won’t hold elections, and Narendra Modi Ji will be Prime Minister for life. Voting is meaningless when decisions favor someone else. How can we let our country be looted, for which our ancestors sacrificed?
Those who do good work are put in jail: Sardar Bhagwant Mann
CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann stated that in states with non BJP governments, Governors are troubling state governments. Mamata Banerjee is being harassed in West Bengal, and our government in Punjab is also being targeted. Governors claim it’s unconstitutional, but we have an elected government. People chosen through democracy govern, not those appointed. If they can’t win somewhere, they resort to overthrowing the government. They toppled the government in Bihar. They turned the country into a chessboard. We all need to come forward for this fight. This fight cannot be fought by Shri Arvind Kejriwal alone. Shri Arvind Kejriwal started a caravan, and now it has become significant. Crores of Kejriwals have emerged across the country. They are contemplating how to imprison Shri Arvind Kejriwal. They can imprison him but how will they imprison his ideology? Those who do good work, like Shri Satyendar Jain in healthcare or Shri Manish Sisodia in education, are thrown into jail. Shri Sanjay Singh raised the slogan of ‘Modi-Adani, Bhai Bhai’ in Parliament, and he too was put in jail.
Entire country is ashamed of BJP openly stealing votes in mayoral election: Dr Sandeep Pathak
During the protest against, AAP National General Secretary Organisation and Rajya Sabha MP and Dr Sandeep Pathak, said that the dishonesty of the BJP in the Chandigarh mayoral election has been exposed before the entire country. The entire country has seen how the BJP is stealing votes in a small election. The calculation of votes was clear in the Chandigarh mayoral election, and the candidate of the INDIA alliance was winning directly. However, the leaders of the BJP openly robbed votes in front of the camera. The BJP declared eight votes of the INDIA alliance as invalid. In the video, it can be seen that the BJP leader is cancelling votes using a pen. Today, the entire country is witnessing that if these people can be dishonest in such a small mayoral election, what will they do in larger elections? The theft of votes by the BJP has made it clear that the public may give votes to any party, but based on dictatorship and dishonesty, the BJP will form its government.
He said further that within Chandigarh, under the instructions of the central government, broad daylight robbery of votes occurred, and the murder of democracy took place. The entire country is ashamed today of the BJP’s shameful act. The BJP openly orchestrates the theft of votes in front of cameras. After the video of the fraud in Chandigarh came to light, the entire truth was revealed to the public. In a small election, BJP members have engaged in the theft of votes.
“In Delhi, BJP wants to topple the Aam Aadmi Party government with the help of the ED. BJP in Delhi wants to arrest CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal. What do they think? If they put Kejriwal in jail, will their life become easier? If you put Shri Arvind Kejriwal in jail, he is the kind of person who will sit on your chest. The BJP should think and plan its strategy for Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Today, there is an attempt to bring the Election Commission and the judiciary under control across the country. It is necessary for everyone to come together today to raise their voices against the dictatorship of the Modi government. The BJP thinks that by imprisoning our leaders in Tihar Jail, they will break our spirits. Our spirit will not break, and we are not afraid under any circumstances,” Dr Sandeep Pathak concluded.
In the way BJP committed voter fraud in Chandigarh, murdering democracy, entire country is ashamed: Gopal Rai
AAP Delhi State Convenor and Delhi’s Cabinet Minister Shri Gopal Rai stated that the blatant voter fraud and murder of democracy that occurred in Chandigarh have brought shame to the entire nation. Although the BJP is now chanting slogans of crossing 400 seats, their actions don’t reflect this confidence. The entire nation witnessed how the BJP openly robbed votes in front of cameras. The Aam Aadmi Party had called for peaceful protests led by Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann. However, orders were issued to Delhi Police from BJP headquarters, with commissioners and all police stations instructed. Police presence was heightened around Delhi from early morning, giving the impression that it was a police demonstration, not an Aam Aadmi Party one. Several party workers’ buses were stopped, and they were taken to police stations. Many of our MLAs and representatives were put under house arrest. However, these are Kejriwal’s soldiers, unyielding and unbroken; we will fight, and we will win.
We also exposed BJP’s dishonesty in MCD, and we went to Supreme Court: Saurabh Bharadwaj
Senior AAP leader and Delhi’s Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj mentioned that BJP’s theft has been caught on CCTV for the first time. Earlier, there were thefts, but no evidence could be found. Dishonesty occurred in Delhi’s MCD elections as well. Aldermen were told to vote, but we exposed the BJP’s dishonesty and took the matter to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that, according to the Constitution, Aldermen cannot cast votes. BJP’s theft has been exposed in the Supreme Court. Now, they have engaged in dishonesty in elections in smaller cities like Chandigarh. Everyone has now seen the dishonesty of the BJP, which claims to be the world’s largest party. In the Chandigarh Mayoral Election, the INDIA alliance had 20 votes, and BJP had 14 votes. However, BJP’s Presiding Officer marked our 8 votes as invalid by placing a cross on the ballot paper himself. Today, this video has been seen by bureaucrats, judges from the Supreme Court and High Courts, journalists, officials, and people across the country.
BJP spared no effort in destroying Constitution; now, they are indulging in dishonesty in front of these cameras too: Raaj Kumar Anand
AAP’s Senior leader and Cabinet Minister Shri Raaj Kumar Anand said that the BJP has left no stone unturned in destroying the Constitution. Now, they are resorting to theft and dishonesty even in front of cameras. We have all seen how the Presiding Officer declared votes invalid and seated the BJP candidate in the mayor’s chair without checking the votes. If this is the situation in these small elections, one can only imagine the extent of manipulation in EVM machines during general elections. We talk about democracy and the Republic. Baba Saheb Ambedkar has written such a beautiful history. If, according to the Constitution, these EVMs and other things start causing trouble in running the country, democracy, and elections will lose their meaning. It would be better for the BJP to drown in shame rather than continue doing such acts.
Delhi Police put several AAP leaders under house arrest
In protest against BJP’s vote theft in the Chandigarh Mayoral Election, the Aam Aadmi Party staged a massive demonstration at the BJP headquarters on Friday. In this demonstration, Aam Aadmi Party’s National Convenor Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann participated prominently. Party workers were coming in large numbers to join the demonstration from Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana, but Delhi Police, aligned with the BJP, stopped them at various places and didn’t let them reach the demonstration site. In addition, BJP’s police arrested several leaders, including the Deputy Mayor of MCD, MLAs of Rajouri Garden, Janakpuri, Bijwasan, Krishna Nagar, and assembly speaker along with councillors of Hari Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, RK Puram, Badli, Moti Nagar, Tri Nagar, Timarpur, and Seemapuri. AAP Haryana’s State President and former MP Dr. Sushil Gupta were also taken into custody by the police and kept at the Punjabi Bagh Police Station for hours.
CM Kejriwal marches towards BJP headquarters, police intervene
After addressing supporters at the AAP headquarters, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, along with his leaders and workers, marched towards the BJP headquarters. Before starting the march, he appealed to everyone to march peacefully, saying that wherever the police stop us, we will halt there. We don’t want to have any conflicts with the police or anyone else. After covering some distance, the police stopped them, and the demonstration concluded there.
Continuous cheers of ‘Arvind Kejriwal Zindabad’
As soon as AAP National Convenor and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal reached the party headquarters, enthusiasm surged among all AAP leaders, workers, and supporters. Despite all efforts by the police to stop them, the determination of the workers remained unshaken. They had started gathering at the party headquarters since morning, and their zeal and passion were evident. Every senior leader, cabinet ministers, legislators, and councillors of the party arrived, chanting slogans like ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, Down with dictatorship, Down with Hitlerian rule, Gali-gali mein shor hai, BJP vote chor hai’ (uproar in every street, BJP is a vote thief). Banners with slogans were also held by the party workers.
Huge crowd of supporters sweats police
There was a massive crowd of people in the grand demonstration of the Aam Aadmi Party. People from all over Delhi arrived to participate in the demonstration. Although the police made every effort to stop them, a large number of party workers and supporters were successful in reaching the party headquarters with the help of autos, metro, and their private vehicles. The increasing crowd of party workers made the police sweat to control them.
Police transforms ‘AAP’ headquarters into cantonment
Seeing the grand demonstration of the Aam Aadmi Party, the police deployed police forces throughout Delhi. In particular, the ‘AAP’ headquarters were transformed into a cantonment. Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were seen in large numbers outside the party office. They appeared with protection jackets and batons in hand. However, even with such a heavy presence of deployed police personnel, the ‘AAP supporters did not step back.
