The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a day-long "collective fast" on Sunday in opposition to the arrest of their party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal. Top party leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar for the day-long fast. Similar protests were being held in other states as well as by Indians abroad.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister, Gopal Rai, said on Saturday that this "unified act of solidarity" would involve gatherings of supporters at both Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and Khatkar Kalan in Punjab. Notably, Khatkar Kalan is the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
“At the same time, in 25 states across the country and key international hubs of the world including New York, Boston, Toronto, Washington DC, Melbourne, and London, supporters will also demonstrate their backing for Arvind Kejriwal through communal fasting,” Rai said at a press briefing yesterday.
Rai called those who are in opposition to Delhi CM's arrest and “who want to safeguard the democracy of the nation” to partake in collective fasting across various locales, including homes, villages, neighbourhoods, block headquarters, tehsils, districts, and state capitals.
The Delhi Minister further encouraged people to jointly recite the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" on YouTube, as a gesture of solidarity with Kejriwal.
"You can sing it collectively. Together, we will pray for the Delhi CM to receive strength and fight against tyranny while he is in prison. We can fight to bring the truth to light," Rai said.
The people participating in the collective fasting movement against Kejriwal’s arrest are urged to share their pictures on the website kejriwalkoaashirvaad.com.
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-defunct excise policy. Kejriwal has been remanded to judicial custody until April 15. He is currently held in Tihar jail alongside his former cabinet ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been demanding the Delhi Chief Minister's resignation ever since he was apprehended by the central probing agency. The ED opposed the plea made by Kejriwal for additional time with his lawyer before a city court, stating that special privileges cannot be granted to him solely because he desires to govern from within the prison. Click here to read the full report.
Delhi CM Kejriwal was arrested by the ED last month. Kejriwal has been remanded to judicial custody until April 15.