First roadshow: Arvind Kejriwal targets magnificent 7

NEW DELHI: “Congress is finished in Delhi. It will not even get 5% vote share.” This was the fierce attack with which AAP convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal started his maiden roadshow in a slum housing 5,000 voters at Lal Bagh in Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. With just nine days left for campaigning to end, the place was carefully picked by the party to seek support for the AAP candidate, Pankaj Gupta.
The roadshow elicited encouraging response with people thronging the streets to shake hands with the CM who was seen smiling, folding his hands and waving at them.Many peeped out of the roofs and stairs of derelict houses to take a look at him. Some even climbed walls, roofs of public toilets and cars parked along the road to shower him with flowers.
Kejriwal stood on a higher pedestal than Gupta, minister Satyendar Jain and a few MLAs in an open vehicle. Since all AAP leaders were wearing marigold garlands, many slum dwellers were unable to make out who was the candidate.
The CM made a strong pitch of the works done by the AAP government in education, health and other sectors to seek votes. He claimed that the Modi government had done nothing and appealed to people to vote out BJP. However, he was in for a surprise at Sangam Park where people started shouting “chowkidar chor hai”, the favourite punchline of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.
Through the roadshow, AAP also tried to project the clean image of Kejriwal. The pilot vehicle, which had security personnel and party volunteers hanging on it, carried a bold and aggressive cutout of Kejriwal with the message “bhrastachar ka ek hi kaal”. Several e-rickshaws and cars in the cavalcade played AAP’s theme song on full statehood for Delhi. However, more than the theme song, people were amused by the brass bands drumming up frenzy.
Several people were seen waving brooms, AAP’s election symbol. The roadshow was aimed at targeting people in slums and unauthorised colonies, which AAP claims are its strongest vote bank.
At Sangam Park, Kejriwal appealed to people to definitely go out and vote on May 12. “Do you want to defeat Modi?” he asked people, who responded in the affirmative. He urged people not to vote for Congress. “Congress candidates will lose their deposits. They will get less than 5% votes. Had Congress been winning in Delhi, we would have left the seven seats for the party,” he said.
“If you make all AAP candidates win, the central government won’t be able to obstruct development works being carried out by the AAP government,” Kejriwal added.
The slums of Lal Bagh and Sangam Park were in stark contrast to the pomp and show of the AAP rally. The houses appeared shaky and overpopulated. The slum lacks piped water supply and people said they were dependent on tankers.
The roadshow concluded at Jama Masjid late at night after moving through Wazirpur JJ Colony, Turkman Gate and other places. In his speeches, the CM said Delhi government will give 53,000 houses to those living in slums. “The city’s development still has some gaps because the Centre didn’t allow us to work. After Delhi becomes a full state, colleges will be opened, jobs created, houses given to all and law and order will improve,” Kejriwal said.