Arvind Kejriwal storms Gujarat to challenge Narendra Modi on his home turf

PATAN: The scene looked familiar. Arvind Kejriwal, the anti-graft crusader, was greeted, and sometimes mobbed, by small groups of supporters. He patiently heard their problems and urged them to vote against the incumbent.

This familiar scene playing out in the unfamiliar territory of Gujarat on Wednesday was a sign that Modi land wasn't indifferent to the Aam Aadmi Party. The AAP convenor, who is expected to spend the next three days in Gujarat, spent his first day out in the saffron-ruled state seeking feedback on the “tall claims” made by Chief Minister Narendra Modi in his rallies across the country.

The Gujarat trip is Kejriwal's third political visit outside Delhi in the last two weeks. This visit comes in the wake of AAP stepping up its attack on BJP’s PM candidate by accusing him of being in cahoots with Relaince's Mukesh Ambani. But unlike the one in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, this one is a more low-key affair and not a show of the party's strength.

The objective for the Gujarat visit, Kejriwal says, is different. “Modiji is telling people that his state is utopian. Education amd health facilities are perfect. There 24*7 power supply. I just want to meet people and know if this is the truth. If it's not then the country should know about it,” he told ET.

So on Wednesday, as he stopped briefly at villages and small towns Kejriwal quizzed people about their local government schools and health dispensaries. At a small village called Yeswada, about 100 km away from Ahmedabad, he asked villagers whether they had seen any development in the last 10 years to which his audience said no. “Whatever development has happened is for the companies, not us,” said a villager in the audience.

All this, Kejriwal said, would go into Modi's report card. “Gujarat seems to be suffering from the same problems of corruption as any other state,” he said.

Day one, however, was not without hiccups. The former CM's cavalcade witnessed few protests during the journey. At Radhanpur, Kejriwal's meeting with people was interrupted by the police, who detained him briefly for not having the required permission in wake of the model code of conduct kicking on Wednesday morning. He was, however, let off after half an hour.

Further, on his way to Bhuj, Kejriwal's car was attacked by a few protestors, who threw stones at the car. Arvind Kejriwal did not have police protection when the attack happened.

His security cover was removed after he was questioned by the Gujarat police. The protestors broke the car's wind shield. “It's quite evident that the protests and attacks have been orchestrated by Narendra Modi. What happened was unfortunate,” Kejriwal told reporters after the attack.

Although, governance was his main focus on the first day out in Modi land, Kejriwal is also expected to touch upon the issue of communalism by visiting a few areas affected by the 2002 riots on Thursday.