Gujarat: Bharatiya Tribal Party to Campaign Against AAP Across Country

GG News Bureau

Ahmedabad, 14^th September. Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) chief Chhotu Vasava on Monday claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was working with the BJP to rule over everyone, but that his party would not allow it.

The BTP chief broke the alliance with the AAP, saying, “AAP wants to rule over everyone but we won’t allow that, as they are with BJP. These people donning caps were atrocious to us turban-wearers; we will oppose them nationwide.”

Notably, Vasava’s remarks came while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was in Gujarat for a two-day visit ahead of the state Assembly elections.

This came months after AAP chief and national convenor Kejriwal addressed the ‘Adivasi Sankalp Mahasammelan’ with Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) chief Chhotu Vasava at a rally in Bharuch on May 1.

Meanwhile, in poll-bound Gujarat, Kejriwal attacked the BJP on Tuesday, alleging that the saffron party is attempting to make Congress chief Sonia Gandhi the “Prime Minister through the backdoor” and “successor” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His claims came as he was responding to a question about BJP leaders stating that AAP’s chief ministerial candidate in the Gujarat Assembly elections would be social activist Medha Patkar.

“I have heard that BJP will make Sonia Gandhi as the PM candidate after PM Modi. Ask them what they have to say on this. Ask them that Kejriwal has alleged that you are going to make Sonia Gandhi the PM candidate and the successor to PM Modi at the national level. What do they have to say on this? The BJP is trying to make Sonia Gandhi the PM of the country through the backdoor. Ask them this question,” Kejriwal said.

The BJP has sought to make Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) founder Medha Patkar’s past ties with AAP a poll issue in Gujarat. Party leaders have said that Patkar opposed the Narmada project and have talked of “renewed ties” between her and AAP.

Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP “has not done anything” for the development of Gujarat and claimed it has “no programme for the next five years”.

Kejriwal also said that the Congress party is “finished” in Gujarat.

“Congress is finished. You should stop taking their questions. People no more care about their questions,” Kejriwal said in reply to a query.

The AAP chief had previously urged people not to “waste their votes” on Congress. Following its victory in the Punjab Assembly elections earlier this year, the AAP is looking to expand its presence in other states.

Gujarat will hold assembly elections later this year. Kejriwal has positioned AAP as the state’s “only alternative” to the BJP. Following its landslide victory in the Punjab elections, the AAP is looking to expand its presence in other states.

The AAP made its debut in Gujarat in the 2017 Assembly elections, but it was unable to open an account.

The AAP’s hopes in Gujarat have been boosted by its performance in the February 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections, in which the BJP won 93 seats, the AAP 27 seats, and the Congress drew a blank.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress stunned the ruling BJP by limiting the BJP’s tally to 99 seats and winning 77 seats on its own. Gujarat has a total of 182 Assembly seats.