AAP plans Guj "Azadi" march ahead of poll campaigning

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will organise a "Gujarat Azadi Yatra" on March 16 from Sanand town in a prelude to launch its campaigning for the state Assembly elections, due later this year.
The AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a gathering of party workers and supporters on March 26, the day when the Azadi march will culminate in Gandhinagar, the AAP's Gujarat election in-charge Gopal Rai said here today.
"We are seeking demand letters from people across the state, and are organising Gujarat Azadi Yatra wherein people from across the state will reach Gandhinagar on March 26, where the gathering will be addressed by Kejriwal," Rai told reporters.

Rai, who holds Rural Development portfolio in the Delhi Government, said the "demand letters" will be submitted to Kejriwal, which will be subsequently included in AAP's manifesto for the Assembly polls.
He said AAP intends to contest all 182 Assembly seats.
Explaining AAP's strategy for Gujarat, Rai said, "the Azadi Yatra will start from Sanand village, where farmers were beaten up by the police, on March 16 in the next phase of the Gujarat Azadi Andolan."

On February 14, the farmers agitating against scarcity of irrigation water had organised a rally near Sanand town, which turned violent.
"With the culmination of the yatra in Gandhinagar on March 26, we will kickstart the election campaigning. As part of this, we are organising Lok Sabha sammelan of party workers, which will be attended by various ministers from Delhi apart from senior party workers," he said.

Rai alleged the opposition Congress was working in collusion with the ruling BJP in Gujarat.
"The way Congress has tried to suppress the Naliya sex scandal issue shows the Congress is working as the B team of the BJP. Congress has surrendered before the BJP. It is said that besides the BJP, the Congress too is involved in the sex scandal," he said.
The Naliya incident pertains to alleged gang rape of a 24-year-old woman from the town in Kutch district last year.
The case has taken a political hue after the police arrested four workers of BJP in the district, besides as many others in connection with the incident.

"We have demanded before the NHRC to form a separate committee to probe the Naliya sex scandal," he said.