AAP holds meeting on future strategy, decides to launch another ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ campaign

PTI, Mar 25, 2024, 8:09 AM IST

AAP leaders Atishi Singh and Gopal Rai with Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely during a press conference in New Delhi on March 24. (Credit: PTI)

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold the ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ campaign and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not resign from his post, the party decided in a meeting held on Sunday.

AAP held the meeting to decide its future course of action in the aftermath of party national convenor Kejriwal’s arrest in the excise policy case.

This was the party’s first major meeting after Kejriwal’s arrest. It was presided over by Aam Aadmi Party national general secretary (organisation) Dr Sandeep Pathak.

It was decided at the meeting that Kejriwal will not resign from the CM’s post and the ministers, MLAs and the party will continue to take his orders from jail, the party said in a statement.

Pathak said that the ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ campaign will start soon under which stickers will be pasted outside houses and on auto-rickshaws and hoarding will also be put up.

Those attending the March 31 INDIA bloc rally should come with ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ stickers pasted on their vehicles, he added.

The opposition INDIA bloc will hold a “maha rally” at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on March 31, with AAP and Congress leaders participating.

Pathak said he has received an order from Kejriwal to hold a rally on March 31 and that the party will ensure that it is successful.

On March 26, meetings on preparations will be held in all assembly constituencies with all councillors to make the March 31 protest rally a huge success, he said.

He urged the party leaders to organise zonal level meetings with MLAs and councillors on March 27-28 to target 10 people from each booth to ensure they reach Ramlila Maidan on March 31.

“There are nearly 14,000 booths. With 10 people from each booth, the number of people reaching Ramlila Maidan will be 1.5 lakh,” he said.

Pathak also urged the party leaders and volunteers to tie a black ribbon on their arm to the March 31 rally as a mark of protest.

“On behalf of all volunteers, I request Arvind Kejriwal not to resign. The government will run from jail,” Pathak said.

The AAP leader alleged it was the BJP’s conspiracy to arrest Kejriwal and then break the party. Pathak added that “nobody is going to break away” from the party.

“Kejriwal in jail is more dangerous than when he was outside the jail because you (BJP) do not know him,” he said.

“Now there will be no pleading, there will be war,” Pathak added.

“Earlier, we would get orders from Civil Lines, now we will get orders from jail, and we will follow them.

Earlier, Kejriwal was busy with governance, and he had made their life difficult. Now, he will have pen and paper with him all the time, just think what will happen to them,” the AAP leader said.

Kejriwal (55) was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday from his official residence in connection with an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. A court on Friday sent the AAP national convenor to the central agency’s custody till March 28.