2019 election is to save democracy, Constitution: Kejriwal

AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday described the 2019 general elections as a battle to save democracy, Constitution and the long tradition of unity which he said was under threat.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters here, Kejriwal said: "2019 elections can prove a turning point as this election is to save the country, democracy and the Constitution."

He said: "India is a 4,000-year-old country with a rich tradition. And despite diversity, India is one and its tradition has strengthened the country and given it power to face all kinds of attacks in the past.

"But today, its unity is being attacked. And if the country gets divided on the basis of religion and caste, then it will lose its centuries old tradition."

Hitting out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah over his controversial tweet of sending back all "infiltrators" from the country except Hindus, Budhists and Sikhs, he said: "He (Shah) did not mention other religions like Muslims, Parsis or Jains while describing the infiltrators. They constitute over 20-25 crore of the population.

"What plan does the BJP has for them? Do they want them to be murdered, mob lynched or being thrown into the Pacific Ocean?"

Kejriwal described the BJP manifesto as the one-line manifesto of pushing out "infiltrators" from the country.

"For us, 2019 elections is to defeat that manifesto," he said.

He accused the BJP of acting on Pakistan's agenda.

"Pakistan wants people of Hindu and Muslim communities to fight each other and the BJP is working on the Pakistan's agenda," he said.

"Our agenda is to stop (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Shah," he said, adding that the AAP will support any party or alliance which believes in secularism and also supports full statehood for Delhi.

--IANS

aks/pg/mr