Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal is surrounded by party supporters during his road show in Bangalore yesterday.
IANS/Bangalore
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal said yesterday media had no guts to expose the darker side of Gujarat under the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
“Has media got guts to expose Modi? They are only repeating all the lies he tells in campaign speeches about the so-called development in Gujarat,” an unfazed Kejriwal said during the AAP’s road show in this tech hub.
Continuing his vicious attack on the media, especially news channels, Kejriwal said the truth about Modi’s development claims was hollow.
“The question, however, is which media house will dare show that. For instance, about 800 farmers committed suicide and about 16,000 small-scale industries shut down under Modi’s regime. But these stark facts are neither shown nor reported,” Kejriwal said.
Recalling his recent visit to Gujarat for a firsthand account and assessment of the much-touted Modi’s development model and growth across sectors, Kejriwal said corruption was no less in that state than elsewhere.
“Corruption reeks across Gujarat even 11 years after Modi became its chief minister. Why doesn’t media go there and verify what I am saying? Is it not its job or duty to tell people the harsh reality there? Will media have the courage to tell the truth about Modi’s Gujarat at least now for people to know before the general elections,” Kejriwal asked.
Lamenting that some sections of the media were deliberately misleading people by bluffing about the development in Gujarat under Modi, the former Delhi chief minister said a make-believe image was being created to influence the people to vote for the BJP.
“It is not just the BJP which is desperate to grab power, but some media houses, which are showing and writing on opinion polls based on false surveys on behalf of vested interests who are keen on making Modi prime minister,” Kejriwal said.
However, in Panaji, an AAP leader said Kejriwal should not generalise and be specific about his criticism of the media.
“Instead of generalising, Kejriwal should attack the top of the media pyramid which is actually playing games,” said Rajendra Kakodkar, one of the party’s spokesmen.
“His comments against the media should not be taken as an attack on journalists and lower and mid-rung functionaries who work in media houses,” he said.
During the road show, Kejriwal struck a chord with Bangaloreans.
“People of Karnataka, especially Bangaloreans, are fed up with the Congress and the BJP whom they voted to power in every alternate election as they had no choice then,” Kejriwal told reporters.
“They have a choice in the AAP in this election as we offer an alternative to provide a clean government to serve them,” he said.
Encouraged by the response from citizens to the road show through three parliamentary constituencies — Bangalore North, Bangalore Central and Bangalore South — Kejriwal expressed confidence that the “mature” electorate would prefer to vote for the AAP.
The AAP has selected candidates to contest from 13 of the 28 parliamentary seats in Karnataka that goes to polls on April 17.
The AAP is also in the process of finalising names for the remaining 15 seats.
Standing in an open jeep and flanked by candidates from the city’s three seats — Infosys honcho V Balakrishnan (Bangalore Central), Nina Nayak (Bangalore South) and Babu Mathew (Bangalore North) — Kejriwal appealed to the people to vote for the “Jhadu” (broom) to bring about a revolutionary change in the country.
“You have a wonderful opportunity this time to be a part of the change we want to bring about in Karnataka and India.
“You have seen how people from all walks of life voted for our candidates in the recent elections in Delhi. Though we could not secure majority, we were able to defeat the mighty Congress and the BJP and managed to form a government.
“We want the same kind of support as this is your election and not just ours,” Kejriwal said.
