AAP chief warns jhuggi dwellers of ‘voter fraud’, says BJP will raze jhuggis

New Delhi: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday warned jhuggi dwellers to remain vigilant against attempts of voter suppression and fraud allegedly by BJP.

In the statement released on Sunday, he also appealed to the people to unite against BJP's alleged "brazen gundagardi". "Amit Shah is coercing Delhi Police to favour BJP's goons. Delhi has never witnessed such gundagardi in an election ever," the former chief minister said.

Kejriwal said that members of BJP were allegedly approaching people, offering Rs 3,000 in exchange for allowing ink to be applied to their fingers without actually casting their votes. "Their party members are going door-to-door, telling people to take Rs 3,000 and that Election Commission will come to their homes to cast their votes. They are saying, ‘you can vote at home and get ink applied on your finger in return'. When I heard this, I was shocked. This is a huge conspiracy against you," Kejriwal said, cautioning residents that such fraudulent practices could lead to legal repercussions, including arrest and prolonged court battles.

Kejriwal also raised serious concerns about the future of those living in JJ clusters if BJP were to come to power. "BJP is planning to demolish your jhuggis within six months and give away your land to its best friend. Vote for AAP, make us stronger and we will protect you," he said. He added, "You are simple and innocent people. If, by mistake, you accept money and get ink applied on your finger, or if you cast a fake vote on their instructions, these people will file a case against you and have you arrested the very next day."

Calling this "the most violent" election that Delhi has ever witnessed, the AAP chief said: "BJP was resorting to gundagardi out of fear of AAP's historic victory. To unite Delhiites and amplify their voices, we have launched hashtag #AmitShahKiGundagardi. If you or someone you know is being harassed by BJP or Delhi Police, share your experience on social media using this hashtag."

He added that "as the elections draw closer, a storm of support for AAP is sweeping across Delhi. In this storm, BJP is rapidly collapsing. Day by day, BJP's seats are dwindling. In this desperate situation, BJP has lost its composure, and no one appears to be more rattled than Shah. His panic has reached a point where he seems to have lost control entirely."

The AAP chief claimed that a day before, party member Sanjay Singh was at a location where these "goons" launched an assault. "Shockingly, the police were right there but did nothing. Instead of stopping the attackers, the police let them escape, and in a disgusting twist, arrested the victims themselves, slapping them with false cases, keeping them in custody all day and night, and harassing them in every possible way," Kejriwal said.