Arvind Kejriwal holds massive roadshow; hits out at Narendra Modi

VARANASI: After Narendra Modi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today held a massive roadshow here and hit out hard at the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate for his "helicopter and corrupt politics" while claiming that both the BJP and the Congress will "disintegrate" after the May 16 results. Kejriwal said it was an election that would change the "direction and fate of the country".

Addressing a public meeting after the roadshow that continued for over five hours, Kejriwal said, "This election is being fought by both Hindus and Muslims and BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate will suffer a defeat by a margin of two lakh votes following which BJP will be finished". He also claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was losing in Amethi to AAP's Kumar Vishwas by at least one lakh votes, after which Congress will "disintegrate into pieces".

The AAP leader said that regional leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Jayalalitha may try to form a government this time, but it will fall apart within one or two years. Thereafter fresh polls will take place and AAP will get a clear mandate to form the government, he said. Kejriwal's diatribe didn't spare media either for telecasting surveys showing huge win for Modi even before the elections. He also sang out a poem at the public meeting seeking harmony and brotherhood among all, after hours of slogan- shouting by his supporters throughout the route.

The roadshow covered nearly ten kilometers through busiest of roads of Varanasi and brought a good part of this temple town to a halt, while people also waited for hours on the sides of his route and in their houses and shops to see Kejriwal, who kept waving through an open vehicle, as did many of his party vehicles in their motorcade.

While a large number of supporters from outside Varanasi were also part of the roadshow, it attracted locals in large numbers too and minority community accounted for a significant part of the crowd. The roadshow also came across groups of BJP supporters numerous times, triggering slogan duels between two groups.

The matter remained under control throughout the roadshow, which incidentally also crossed senior BJP leader Amit Shah's car at one point of time, when AAP leader Kumar Vishwas was seen telling Kejriwal about this. The city roadshow began at around 4 pm at Banaras Hindu University gate, incidentally the same venue from where Modi began his drive-through last evening and finally ended at about 9.30 pm. at Town Hall ground in busy Maidagin area, where he addressed a public meeting.