New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and AAP's national convener, on Sunday declared jailed Gujarat MLA Chaitar Vasava as the party’s candidate from the Bharuch seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
He made the announcement while addressing a public meeting in Netrang of Gujarat's Bharuch district. He was accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann.
Attacking the BJP, Kejriwal said that MLA Chaitar Vasava was arrested last month as he fought for the tribal community's rights. He accused the BJP of being against the tribals.
"This is a fight for the honour of the tribal community... We need to give out a clear message to the BJP that this insult will not be tolerated anymore. Today I announce, that in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, Chaitar Vasava will contest from the Bharuch seat." he said.
Vasava, who is a tribal leader, represents the Dediapada (ST) assembly constituency and also serves as the leader of AAP’s legislature party in Gujarat. He is also the working president of AAP’s central Gujarat unit.
"Chaitar Vasava is an emerging young politician from the tribal community. The BJP is afraid of him; if he continues to grow (in politics), he will start working towards for rights of the tribal community," he added.
The BJP was scared of Vasava and "trying to suppress him to send out a message to the community that if anyone tries to raise voice against it, he will be crushed," he further claimed while expressing his support for the AAP MLA.
Vasava, the MLA from Dediapada and AAP's state working president, was arrested on December 14, 2023, after he surrendered in a case of allegedly threatening forest officers and firing in the air while trying to resolve an issue pertaining to cultivation of forest land by local tribals in Narmada district.
His wife, personal secretary, and one more person named in the FIR were all arrested in the case.
On November 2, Vasava and six others were booked under Indian Police Code (IPC) sections related to rioting, extortion and attack on government officials as well as provisions of the Arms Act after a clash with state forest department personnel who were called to his residence in Dediapada town to discuss the issue of encroachments on forest land.
A dispute arose between the two sides after the forest department raised objections to the use of forest land for farming by private parties, Narmada district Superintendent of Police Prashant Sumbe had said.
The incident occurred on the night of October 30 and the case was registered on November 2, he said.
Vasava faced an FIR after he allegedly threatened some forest department officials and fired in the air at his residence in Gujarat’s Narmada district, while his wife and two others were arrested in the case, police said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA allegedly confronted the forest officials after inviting them to his residence for discussing the matter. During the discussion, the lawmaker and the other accused allegedly threatened the officials, and Vasava even fired one round in the air, the police officer had said.