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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Arvind Kejriwal cancels Gujarat visit after state govt denies venue permission
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Arvind Kejriwal cancels Gujarat visit after state govt denies venue permission

AAP Gujarat spokesperson says the party will hold a massive rally in Gujarat, which will be addressed by Arvind Kejriwal; the date and venue will be announced later

Kejriwal, who had visited the state in 2014 in the run-up to the general elections, was expected to visit Gujarat in June to prepare party cadre for campaign work. Photo: APPremium
Kejriwal, who had visited the state in 2014 in the run-up to the general elections, was expected to visit Gujarat in June to prepare party cadre for campaign work. Photo: AP

Ahmedabad: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is planning to contest the Gujarat assembly elections next year, received a setback today with party chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal having to cancel his visit to the state next month after the state government denied permission for the party programme at the chosen venue in Surat.

Kejriwal, who had visited the state in 2014 in the run-up to the general elections, was expected to visit Gujarat in June to prepare party cadre for campaign work.

“Kejriwal was given an invitation to attend a meet organised by Surat Vividh Vyapari Mandal. This was met with a lot of resistance from the state government who pressurised the association to withdraw its invitation. We have decided to cancel the visit as the state has refused to give permission to hold the meeting that was to be held in Surat on 10 June," said Harshil Nayak, spokesperson for AAP in Gujarat.

The AAP chief was expected to reach out to farmers, besides local businessmen and industrialists during his visit.

During his two-day July tour, Kejriwal was scheduled to visit the Somnath-Rajkot belt in Saurashtra and Surat in south Gujarat, both considered as strongholds of the Patidar community.

He said that the party has announced in the past that it will contest all 182 assembly seats in the 2017 state elections, but a final decision of AAP’s Central committee is pending.

“We are going to continue our fight against the state government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the next couple of months, AAP will hold a massive rally in Gujarat, which will be addressed by Kejriwal. The date and venue will be announced later," said Nayak.

After building a base in Delhi, Punjab and Goa, the party is focusing on building its organizational structure in Gujarat.

AAP’s Gujarat observer Gulab Singh Yadav, who is also a member of the Delhi assembly, had announced the party’s plans to contest Gujarat polls at a press conference on 4 June.

AAP is also eyeing the votes of the agitating Patel community in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

The AAP chief had earlier this month called the arrest of 23-year-old Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel as illegal.

The powerful and influential Patels, who have been supporting the BJP for over two decades now and constitute about 14% of the state’s population, have been agitating for quotas for over a year now.

Their leader, Hardik Patel, is facing sedition and other charges linked to the stir he headed last year that turned violent.

In a video message, Kejriwal said that Hardik Patel, who has been in prison for more than eight months, had merely raised his voice for the rights of Gujaratis.

Earlier this month, posters and banners of Kejriwal were seen in cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot, with claims of support from the Patel community for the party and its leader.

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Published: 29 Jun 2016, 02:21 PM IST
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