Chandigarh : Delhi CM and AAP National Convener Shri Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that he wanted to spend time on the border with the farmers today, not as a CM, but as a sewadar. He wanted to show his support to them by sitting with them for half an hour, but he wasn’t allowed to go. He said that the call for Bharat Bandh by the farmers was highly successful. People from across the nation supported the bandh. He congratulated the farmers for the success of the movement. He wanted to show my support to the farmers by being with them today on the border as a sewadar, but even though he wasn’t allowed to go, he was praying from his home for the movement to be successful. He said that the Centre has been trying to stop him from going out since the last two days, because they did not want him to go amongst the farmers and support them. He said that the Centre is upset with him for deciding to support the farmers, by denying to convert stadiums into jails and making arrangements on the border for the convenience of the farmers. He said that a country where it’s farmers are unhappy can never progress, “we have to rise above politics and serve the farmers and serve the farmers till their movement continues,” he added.After struggling for the entire day to meet AAP National Convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the cabinet ministers and AAP volunteers were allowed to meet him late evening today. During the meeting, Shri Arvind Kejriwal addressed the party leaders, volunteers and the media and said, “The call for Bharat Bandh by the farmers was highly successful. People from across the nation supported the bandh in their own way. The AAP volunteers and the people of Delhi also supported the movement, and I want to congratulate the farmers and the people of the country for this.
I am happy the entire nation collectively came in support of the movement of the farmers, it represented unity. I wanted to spend some time on the border with the farmers today, not as a CM, but as a sewadar. I wanted to show my support to them by sitting with them for half an hour or so. I think they got to know about my plan, and so they did not let me know. But even though I could not go, I was praying from my home for the movement of the nation to be successful. CM Shri Kejriwal said, “A few days back, we had received a proposal of the central government. First of all, they tried to stop the farmers in every city of Haryana when the farmers were moving towards Delhi. They used water cannons and tear gas shells on the farmers and set up barricades to stop them, but our farmers defied all the hurdles and reached Delhi. The Centre then decided to let the farmers enter Delhi, and they asked the Delhi government for permission to convert 9 stadiums in Delhi into jails. I suddenly couldn’t help but recall Anna Andolan, and how we were put in these big stadiums which were converted into jails. They put us in jails and tried to weaken the movement. In the same way, I knew that they would put the farmers into jails to weaken their movement. There was a lot of pressure on us, we received calls from various sources. But we decided to stand in support of the farmers, which I think helped the farmer’s movement. Since that time, the Central government is angry at us for not converting the stadiums into jails.” “Our farmers are sitting on the borders, and I know that our MLAs, ministers, volunteers, etc, are serving the farmers everyday. We have told all the people to neither wear AAP caps or stalls, nor take the name of AAP, but to go there as an Indian and as a citizen of the country to serve the farmers.
Our farmers spend their lives in our service, it is the first time that you have got an opportunity to serve the farmers. I know that some of you people distribute fruits and food, some of you have taken the responsibility of toilets and some have then the responsibility of water,” he added.CM Shri Kejriwal said, “Yesterday morning, even I went there as a sewadar and not as a CM, to see if they need something. The Centre was upset because of that as well, because first, we did not allow the Centre to convert the stadiums into jails and second, we are making arrangements there for the convenience of the farmers. I salute the farmers for sleeping on the roads at night in such harsh winters, we are doing whatever we can to help them. Because of this, the Centre has been trying to stop me from going out since the last two days, because they did not want me to go amongst the farmers and support them. But I prayed from home for the success of the movement and the movement was successful. I have got to know that there is a meeting today at 7 PM, and I hope that the Centre accepts all the demands of the farmers. They say the laws that they have passed are in the interest of the farmers. If they are, the farmers should agree that these laws are in their interest. Instead of that, they are demanding the laws to be repealed. The Centre should repeal the laws without any argument. I hope that the Centre will accept the demands of the farmers as soon as possible, pass a law on guaranteed MSP so that our farmers do not have to hold sit-in protests in these harsh weather conditions anymore.””A country where the farmers and the soldiers are sad, that country can never progress. If the farmers of our country are sad, we can never be at peace. We have to keep politics aside and help the farmers, and serve them and stand by them till their movement continues,” added the CM.