NEW DELHI (RAJEEV SHARMA): The BJP-led Central Government enforced a major police crackdown on Saturday in Delhi as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and several senior party leaders and ‘karyakartas’ (workers) were detained while heading to Jantar Mantar to join the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)’s protest against ‘Vote-Chori’ (vote theft) and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Earlier, police deployment outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence prompted AAP leaders and karyakartas to raise slogans in protest.
Calling on people across the country to reach Delhi, the AAP Chief urged them to turn any spot where police stopped them into their own Jantar Mantar. He tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi for crushing democracy to cover up electoral fraud, asserting that the country’s youth had awakened and would no longer be intimidated by the Modi government’s dictatorship. Meanwhile, AAP also protested outside its party office against the police action.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “Delhi Police has detained us. The youth of this country have now awakened, and they will not be intimidated by Modi Ji’s dictatorship. Gyanesh Kumar will now have to resign, because people are no longer willing to tolerate Vote-Chori. I appeal to all citizens to step out of their homes and join this struggle to save the country.”
The AAP Chief asserted, “Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah have unleashed a reign of dictatorship in Delhi. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at every corner. People are not being allowed to step out of their homes. Police are picking up people walking on the streets and preventing them from going anywhere. They have imposed a climate of dictatorship across the country. This is happening because Modi Ji had been winning elections by stealing votes. Now he has been caught red-handed, and he wants to suppress the issue and continue the same practice. But the people of this country will not allow this to happen. The youth of the country have stood up.”
He added, “Today, leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party, Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, along with people such as Dhruv Rathee from Gurugram and Ratna Singh, have all been arrested. The youth of the country are extremely angry. I want to make a heartfelt appeal, with folded hands, to everyone listening to me, particularly the people and youth across the country: we must all come together to save the country.”
Appealing to citizens, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “Wherever you are in the country, step out of your homes right now and head towards Delhi. Come to Delhi, whether on a scooter, on foot, by bus, by aeroplane or by train. Come by whatever means you can. Wherever Modi Ji stops you, sit down at that very spot and turn it into Jantar Mantar. Turn the entire country into Jantar Mantar. But Modi Ji must be stopped from stealing votes; otherwise, this country and its democracy will not survive.”
In a post on X, the AAP Chief stated, “It is now completely clear that conditions in the country are worse than they were during the Emergency. We are living under outright dictatorship during PM Modi’s rule. Arresting members of the Cockroach Janata Party directly from their flight reflects a level of fear within PM Modi that has never been seen before. Prime Minister Modi knows very well that he won elections only by stealing votes, and now he is determined to crush democracy completely to protect this ‘farziwada’. Gyanesh Kumar will have to leave office, but PM Modi must also go.”
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh stated, “Modi Ji has imposed Emergency across the country to protect a ‘chor’. This is the first example of its kind anywhere in the world, where an entire country has been turned into a cantonment to protect one thief. Delhi has been shut down, and trains coming to Delhi have also been stopped. PM Modi has created conditions worse than those during the Emergency simply to protect one ‘chor’, because that ‘Vote-Chor’ helped them form several governments by doing ‘Vote-Chori’. This is why the Aam Aadmi Party is supporting the CJP protest.”
Sanjay Singh asserted, “A single Vote Chor has become the most important person. The Gyanesh Kumar and Modi Ji duo will steal votes and governments in this country. I want to offer Modi Ji some advice: he is making a huge mistake. If he suppresses people’s voices, resistance against him will grow across the country, and anger will build among the people. Therefore, do not try to deal with this through the use of force.”
Appealing to the public, the AAP MP added, “Everyone must participate in this movement wholeheartedly. Delhi and this country cannot be run through anyone’s dictatorship or Hitler-like rule. Peaceful protest is our democratic and constitutional right.”
On the other hand, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “The shameless Delhi Police, acting at the BJP’s behest, has manhandled Arvind Kejriwal.”
He added, “People have come to the national capital to demand their rights. Even the British did not behave this way. When Mahatma Gandhi undertook the Dandi March to demand his rights, the British allowed him to travel from Sabarmati to Dandi and gave him an opportunity to raise his voice. Today, the government is saying that citizens cannot even raise their voices. If people are not allowed to express their views in this country, the government itself is creating anarchy.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj further stated, “So much police and paramilitary force has been deployed as if Pakistan, Bangladesh or China had attacked India. The government, ministers and intelligence agencies used to call these people Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. If they are foreigners, why is the government so afraid of them? Pakistanis are in Pakistan and Bangladeshis are in Bangladesh. These are young people from our own country. Left-wing organisations, our student wing and several other student organisations have extended their support to this protest. These people have been offering themselves for arrest since this morning, and we are not afraid of being arrested.”
Emphasising the peaceful nature of the demonstration, the AAP Delhi Chief shared, “We are people who believe in the Constitution of our country and in non-violence. Everyone coming here is doing so to convey their views to the government through completely peaceful means. The government should therefore allow them to express themselves and must not use violence against them.”
“People will come, put forward their views and leave. When the government resorts to violence and deploys heavy police and paramilitary forces, it creates an atmosphere of anarchy in the country. We must avoid this and ensure that a positive environment for dialogue always prevails,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Delhi Assembly LoP Atishi said, “45 metro stations have been shut down. 45,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed. Thousands of people have been placed under preventive detention. The internet has been shut down, and markets have been closed. All this is being done solely to protect the person who helps the BJP win elections illegally.”
Atishi questioned the government’s actions, stating, “Arvind Kejriwal, who has served as Delhi’s Chief Minister 3 times, has been brutally detained by Delhi Police for demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Modi Ji, how many people will you put behind bars to protect Gyanesh Kumar?”
Senior AAP leader and former Delhi minister Gopal Rai asserted, “A Black Emergency has been imposed across Delhi. Police forces have been deployed in huge numbers, people are being forcibly arrested, and students and young people are being detained. The government has stopped trains and metro services coming into Delhi. Despite this, thousands of people are reaching the city and protesting to protect democracy and demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.”
He added, “Today, if they arrest us, we will submit to arrest and go to jail. If they impose this kind of Emergency and dictatorship across the country, the entire country will court arrest, and their jails will not be big enough to accommodate everyone. The government must come to its senses because history has witnessed the fate of dictatorships, and the response to this dictatorship will also be recorded in history. We will fight, go to jail and continue this struggle.”
On the other hand, AAP MLA from Burari Sanjeev Jha stated, “Delhi has been completely barricaded and turned into a cantonment, with the BSF, ITBP, Delhi Police, CRPF and CISF deployed across the city. Trains and buses have been stopped, to trouble people. All this is being done solely to protect Gyanesh Kumar. He has betrayed the country by stealing votes and should have been made to resign. Instead, the government is imposing this lockdown-like security cordon to protect him.”
Sanjeev Jha further asserted, “Our country became a republic after countless sacrifices, and no one can take away our right to freedom of expression. If our right to speak is taken away, people will come out onto the streets and fight for their rights. For the past 3 days, the government has been sending police to the homes of party workers and ordinary citizens to intimidate them. We were only demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, but the time has now come to go beyond that demand. Removing Gyanesh Kumar alone will not be enough. Now the call is: Modi Batao, Desh Bachao (remove PM Modi, save the country).”
The AAP MLA added, “Modi Ji, what are you so afraid of that you have deployed so many police and erected so many barricades? The public is merely asking questions and demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Remember, in a democracy, the people’s voice is the greatest power.”
AAP Slams BJP Over Police Cordoning Off Arvind Kejriwal’s Residence
Delhi Police detained AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. The former Delhi CM was scheduled to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday along with his family. Before he could leave his home, Delhi Police surrounded the residence from all sides. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly criticised the BJP and the Modi Government over the police cordon.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh questioned the police action, stating, “Is Arvind Kejriwal’s house Jantar Mantar? How can our party karyakartas be stopped from coming to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence?”
AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “An Emergency has been imposed in the country. Aam Aadmi Party karyakartas are being arrested from the residence of their own National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal.”
MCD Leader of Opposition Ankush Narang asserted, “At the BJP’s behest, Delhi Police has turned the residence of AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal into a fortress. An undeclared Emergency has been imposed in the national capital under BJP rule.”
AAP National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda questioned the government, stating, “Why is Modi Ji so afraid that even people visiting Arvind Kejriwal’s residence are being arrested?”
Delhi Police Also Seals AAP National Office
Along with turning Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal’s residence into a heavily guarded fortress, Delhi Police also sealed the Aam Aadmi Party’s national office. Police erected barricades and stopped people from entering or leaving the premises.
AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj strongly objected to the action, stating, “What is the police so afraid of that it has had to seal even our party’s national office? Are our workers now not even allowed to visit their own office?”
AAP Leaders & Karyakartas Protest Outside Party Office
With Delhi Police blocking access to Jantar Mantar, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a protest outside its office. Led by senior AAP leader Gopal Rai, party karyakartas raised slogans including “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod”, expressing anger over the police crackdown and the detention of students and political leaders. Gopal Rai said that the movement would continue despite arrests, asserting, “We will go to jail, fill the jails, but the movement will continue.”
