AAP open to alliance to keep BJP out of power in UP in case of hung Assembly: Kejriwal

Lucknow: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said in case a situation arises in Uttar Pradesh that there is a hung Assembly then AAP will enter into a post-poll alliance to keep incumbent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power in the state.

“If hung Assembly takes place in UP, we will go to the government and get all our guarantees fulfilled to keep BJP out. So don’t worry about the seats, vote for AAP with great enthusiasm,” said Kejriwal while addressing a rally in Lucknow. Further, reacting to the allegation of ‘AAP’s links with separatist forces,’ made by Hindi poet and former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas. Kejriwal said, “a poet from Ghaziabad had a dream that Kejriwal was a terrorist”.

“So remove Prime Minister Modi, agencies like RAW, NIA, CBI, ED and keep that poet. He will tell who is a terrorist and who is not,” he said.

Quoting dialogue from ‘Sholay’, a Bollywood film, Kejriwal said “100 miles away when someone indulges in corruption, the mother says- son sleep or else Kejriwal will come.”

“I am a terrorist who scares the corrupt,” he added.

Attacking opposition parties in his address, Kejriwal said, “if BJP and Congress had worked in 70 years, they would have asked for votes in the name of work. Now they have to ask for votes by calling Kejriwal a terrorist.”

Taking on BJP, the AAP leader cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech and said, “Yesterday, the PM said those who rides bicycle are terrorists”.

“This is an insult to bicycle riders. When you vote, tell them it’s BJP (people) who are terrorists, not the ones who ride bicycles,” Kejriwal said.

The Delhi CM further said, “First, the farmers of the country were called terrorists and now all the poor people using cycles are being called terrorists”.

Kejriwal is on a one-day visit to the capital city of Uttar Pradesh to seek support for party candidates in the ongoing seven-phase UP Assembly elections.

Three of the seven phases of UP Assembly elections have been completed and the voting for the remaining phases will continue on February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.