Live: Kejriwal to contest from Varanasi, calls Modi to debate

6:20 pm: Kejriwal to contest from Varanasi, challenges Modi to debate Finally at long last came the voice referendum. “Should I contest from Varanasi?” asked Kejriwal. “Yes” replied the audience. “But I don’t have money…I will come back to you to seek funds to campaign. This is not an election just for Varanasi but for the nation,” he said. Kejriwal urged people to take a month’s leave to campaign in Varanasi and Amethi. “I would invite Narendra Modi to a debate here…The people of Varanasi want to know what he thinks on various issues and if he doesn’t reply you know something is wrong,” he said. And with a song, the rally is over. So the battle lines are now officially drawn with Modi going to face off against Kejriwal. The BJP is still to respond to Kejriwal but expect the knives to come out now. Will Modi now take him on in his speeches? 6:20pm: We must defeat Rahul, Modi, says Kejriwal **Kejriwal said the prime ministerial candidates of the NDA and UPA needed to be defeated to bring about a change in the political system of the country. “If we defeat Modi and Rahul Gandhi then it will force the breaking up of the NDA and UPA,” he said. He said that if the duo were defeated then elections would be held within a year and honest people would be elected and they would bring about change. The AAP leader urged people to use the metaphorical jhadoo to evict corrupt leaders. 6:15 pm: Modi allying with thieves to come to power, says Kejriwal Kejriwal claimed that Modi was so greedy to come to power that he was willing to tie up with even the MNS in Maharashtra to do so. And in the middle, the azaan from a mosque was heard and Kejriwal decided to pause in full flow to let it get over. “He is so greedy to power he is willing to ally with anyone to come to power. He is allying with goons and thieves also to come to power,” he said. Like Vishwas, he questioned whether Modi would chasten the MNS if they ever attacked migrants from Varanasi again. He questioned the alliances with Yeddyurappa, Sriramulu and other Muzaffarnagar riot accused. “If people still think Modi should get a chance then just remember that you are giving people like Yeddyurappa another chance,” Kejriwal said. 6:10 pm: No alternative to Modi in Gujarat, says Modi Kejriwal claimed that both Rahul Gandhi and Modi used airplanes from Ambani and got campaign funds from him. They were both controlled by him, he said. “I have Anil and Mukesh Ambani’s swiss bank accounts and I have given them to Modi,” he said. He then read out two accounts that he claimed belonged to the industrialists and said that he had written to Modi asking what action he would take but got no response. Kejriwal claimed that Modi had won thrice in the state of Gujarat because he had suppressed the opposition and even his own party in the state. There was no alternative, he claimed. 6:00 pm: Modi destroys small scale industry, says Kejriwal **Kejriwal claimed that Modi would also bring FDI in retail and said there was no difference between him and the Congress. The AAP leader said that small scale industries had shut down in Gujarat and if Varanasi voted for him then they would pay the price for it. “Modi’s model is about destroying small scale industries and favouring big industrialists like Adani,” Kejriwal said. He claimed that if the BJP was voted to power it would also mean that inflation would rise and went after Reliance Industries claiming that it had benefitted from the government’s policies. 5:55 pm: Kejriwal debunks Modi’s development achievements, says he steals farm lands **The AAP leader mocked the claims of development that are being associated with Modi in Gujarat and said it was a media creation. “Some people in the media have betrayed the people of this nation. They have lied by claiming that Modi has brought about great development in Gujarat,” he said. Kejriwal claimed he had gone to Gujarat to learn from Modi about his development model. “If Modi was really a vikas-purush then I would stand with him and not against him. Even if was a regular leader I would have not stood against him,” Kejriwal said. “He has only done what Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have done,” he said. He claimed that Modi had given the lands of farmers to Reliance and Adani group at throwaway prices. Kejriwal said he had met with farmers who were not compensated for their lands. “Adani toh lagta nahin chacha Modiji ka. (he doesn’t look his uncle to me) Something must be on between the two of them,” Kejriwal said. 5:50 pm: Have no interest in becoming MP, says Kejriwal Kejriwal said that he had no interest in power and wasn’t interested in becoming a Parliamentarian. “Leaders who want to go to Parliament pick a safe seat. I want to contest in a seat where there is someone to defeat,” he said. He also justified his resignation in Delhi saying that he had resigned on a principle because the Congress, BJP refused to pass his Lokpal Bill. He mocked the BJP for calling him irresponsible and said that the party would have called even figured like Lord Ram a “bhagoda” for giving up the throne for a principle. 5:45 pm: Kejriwal takes credit for stalling gas price hike Kejriwal listed in brief what he had done during the day and how he had taken a dip in the Ganga despite the water being dirty. “It is Varanasi so one must take a dip in the Ganga no matter the condition of the water,” he said. The AAP leader also took credit for deferring the gas price hike and said that the Election Commission had agreed to their demand. “If you choose one of them to govern you then don’t blame God for paying higher prices,” he said. 5:40 pm: Kejriwal says Congress, BJP working together against them After two hours and to a chant of “har har mahadev”, Arvind Kejriwal took the mike finally. Speaking about the attack on him, Kejriwal claimed they were goons for hire. “Even in Gujarat we were attacked, what wrong had we done. Over here also we were attacked and things thrown at us…I wonder to this day have the BJP shown black flags to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?” he said. He claimed that the two parties were only attacking the AAP. “What more proof do you want that they are attacking us and working together,” he said. 5: 30 pm: Vishwas questions how Modi can ally with Shiv Sena, MNS while standing from Varanasi **Vishwas said that Modi should explain how he could stand from Varanasi when he was allied with the Shiv Sena and had the backing of the MNS, two parties that assaulted migrants from Varanasi who went to Mumbai. “Let him say that the Shiv Sena and MNS won’t attack the migrats from Varanasi and we will withdraw our candidature from this seat,” he said. 5:15 pm: Kumar Vishwas says AAP will win in Amethi and Varanasi Kumar Vishwas, who’s the party’s candidate in Amethi said he was confident the party would win this seat. “Varanasi is not only the place of birth but also death. But both only give an individual glory here,” Vishwas said, hinting that they didn’t care about the result of this election. He said that when he had gone to Amethi for the first time he also had faced stones and eggs and claimed it was a sign that they were going to win. “AAP is going to win by two lakh votes and I hope you will also win by the same margin,” he said. He also claimed to have met the person who had thrown ink at Kejriwal and questioned whether it is part of the culture of the city. “These people who throw ink follow leaders who have hundreds of guards around them. We meet with the people thats why we have ink thrown on us,” Vishwas said. Rahul Gandhi gets his hair cut in Spain but uski naak Amethi mein kategi (he will be shamed in Amethi) , he said. The party’s candidate also claimed that the ink attack on AAP’s leaders would only win them more votes. “This ink attack on us has definitely resulted in 50,000 votes switching over to our side,” he claimed 5:00 pm: Sisodia says AAP will come to power again, lists achievements in Delhi Manish Sisodia on stage questioned what gas policy Narendra Modi would follow in the event that he became the next prime minister. He also pointed out the AAP’s achievements while it was in power in Delhi. “We made the price of electricity half of what it was, we made water cheaper,” Sisodia said. Sisodia claimed that while they were in power corruption came to an end and said that he was confident the AAP will come to power in Delhi. “If we come to power we will send all these corrupt fellows to jail,” Sisodia said to cheers. We left power because we were tired of arguing with the Congress-BJP and we will return to power again but stronger than before, he said. He urged the residents of Varanasi to exercise their responsibility and vote the AAP to power in the constituency. 4:50 pm: AAP criticises Modi, dynastic politics and RIL **The party’s various speakers have already run through Modi, dynastic politics and Reliance Industries in order to extol Arvind Kejriwal’s virtues. What will be left for him to say? One wonders when Kejriwal is going to take the stage. The rally’s begun at 3 pm and we’re still waiting. 4:20 pm: AAP criticises Modi for taking support from people like Yeddyurappa The AAP rally’s speakers are making a special point of going after Modi and the grounds of criticism seem to focus on the point that he’s willing ally with anyone in order to come to power including leaders like BS Yeddyurappa. “We have one chance to correct this,” a speaker said. He also urged the people to say yes when Kejriwal sought their permission to contest from the seat. 4:00 pm: Kejriwal’s rally becomes top trend on Twitter He’s not speaking yet but he’s the top trend on Twitter. Television visuals have so far shown Kejriwal sitting on stage and yawning even as other speakers thunder against opponents, but on Twitter, Twitterati can’t stop talking about him. Kejriwal won’t be complaining about the attention even before he’s declared that he will contest from Varanasi. Here are some sample tweets:

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3:50 pm: Will play holi in Varanasi after elections, says AAP The AAP is continuing now taking on the BJP and said that it would ensure that it would go beyond the ink attack today and ensure the party’s loss in the upcoming election “We will put red gulaal on your face after the elections and we will play Holi in Varanasi…” the speaker said. The AAP is criticising the protesters who welcomed Kejriwal to Varanasi and even went after yoga guru Baba Ramdev, saying a man who dressed in a woman’s clothing to escape arrest had no right to call anyone anything. Ouch! “This is a son of the nation,” thundered the speaker. 3.20 pm: Kejriwal’s cavalcade reaches Benia Bagh, the venue Arvind Kejriwal, travelling on a tempo with party colleagues, has finally made its way to Benia Bagh in Varanasi. Television visuals show that the path to Benia Bagh is lined with party workers sporting the party cap. 3.00 pm: Now political rivals thrown black ink at Kejriwal After pelting his entourage with eggs, political rivals, presumably BJP workers who have been protesting at all corners of Varanasi, now lobbed black ink at Kejriwal. Though Kejriwal’s political opponents, especially BJP, had maintained a dignified silence till now over Kejriwal’s Varanasi visit to seek public opinion about taking on Modi, things seem to be heating up just before the AAP chief’s address. NDTV tweeted out an image of Kejriwal’s vehicle splattered with ink.

  From the amount of ink dripping off the posters on Kejriwal’s tour vehicle, it is clear that his opponents had come armed with a lot of it to make sure Kejriwal and his party colleagues’ face is blackened. It’s important to be reminded here that Varanasi, in itself, has no valid reason to grudge Kejriwal except for BJP workers feeling miffed that he has dared to challenge Modi in the ground chosen by the Gujarat CM. It is not clear if the high command approves of the ambush. While protests before political rallies by opponents is not something new, a sustained day-long campaign to disrupt and attack a party’s rally is somewhat new to the political narrative of the country. Kejriwal, with his new found political cunning and wisdom, will possibly not let the BJP get away with this. He had already declared that Modi was shaken by his entry into Gujarat and hence got him ‘detained’ by the police. With the BJP workers trying all ugly tricks in the book to attack the AAP leader, who is out on a routine political rally like any other party, AAP has got something they will advertise and refer to by AAP as political intolerance for some time to come. In fact, by attacking him the BJP workers seem to be conveying that Kejriwal’s presence in a constituency of Modi’s choice is not just unwelcome, but is also unsettling. 2.36 pm: Benia Bagh Maidan sees a throng of AAP supporters A live video being streamed on YouTube shows a sizable crowd in the Benia Bagh grounds. Though none of the popular AAP leaders have turned up yet, people are seen slowly filling up the grounds, their Gandhi topis bobbing like a white sea under the scorching sun. However, it seems like party supporters are the ones who have turned up at the grounds, not too many curious onlookers. A local AAP worker is trying to set the tone for the rally by reminding the crowd of a similar gathering at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, where AAP had organised several meetings. “That rally set the stage for the change of guard in Delhi. This rally will set the stage for the change of guard in the country,” he says. The leader then lashes out at the BJP and Modi’s alleged megalomania by saying that if people vote for BJP, they will vote for one person. “They are saying themselves that the government will be a Modi government, not a BJP government or NDA. It will be one man’s government, one man will run the country. The party which doesn’t care about its own senior members, how will they care about people of the country,” the leader questioned. 1.35 pm: Attackers identified as BJP workers No prizes for guessing this one. One a NaMo land, always a NaMo land is what the Gujarat CM’s supporters believe. Onviously not taking Kejriwal’s intrusion into their leader’s claimed territory lightly, they countered the AAP entourage at several points, shouting ‘Kejriwal wapas jao’ slogans. PTI reports: “Arvind Kejrival today faced protests allegedly by BJP workers after he arrived here to kickstart his campaign against Narendra Modi. Kejriwal, who arrived here by Shivganga express train, faced an angry mob of BJP workers at different points in the town shouting slogans of “Kejriwal vapas jao” and “Kejriwal murdabad”. He first faced opposition by the BJP workers at Tagore town colony in Bhojubir locality where he halted at a party worker’s residence and later faced similar opposition at Baba Kal Bhairon temple in Vishesehwarganj locality. The AAP workers retaliated by raising anti-Modi slogans, a party official said.” Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party supporters have started trooping into the rally venue.

  12.35 pm: Eggs thrown at Kejriwal So the opponents are neither lying low nor the gods listening to Kejriwal in Varanasi! After making rounds of the temples are seeking the blessings of Mother Ganga, Kejriwal was greeted with eggs in Varanasi. CNN IBN reports that his car was pelted with eggs and some of his more unfortunate supporters were hit by them. However, it has not been confirmed, which of Kejriwal’s many admirers have decided to throw eggs at him.

  11.49 am: Kejriwal braves crowds and cameras to take a dip in Ganga Kejriwal, clad in a green checked lungi took a dip in the Ganga in Varanasi. ANI tweeted out a picture of him.11.01 am: No ‘har har Kejriwal’ for AAP After the ‘Har Har Modi’ slogan by the Gujarat CM’s enamoured supporters left him and his party in the dock, the Aam Aadmi Party decided to play it safe and play to the galleries at the same time. Since the Shankaracharya of the Dwarka Peeth, rapped BJP by saying that it is not right to use a refrain used for Lord Shiva’s worship for hailing Modi’s power, Kejriwal’s party decided to rub a little salt in BJP’s wounds. Though Kejriwal has slowly warmed up to the idea of religion as a poll plank with great impact, the party hasn’t, till now not let religion eclipse its other agendas. However, as soon as Kejriwal landed in Varanasi it went on to applaud and celebrate Hinduism in full steam. In fact, the party deserted its own slogan and workers accompanying Kejriwal in his city tour has kept on chanting ‘Har Har Mahadev’, keeping with the city’s high regard for the Hindu god. Till now, the AAP has played it well! 10.40 am: AAP supporters throng Varanasi, tweet out pictures Kejriwal’s followers, AAP cap et al, have been tweeting out pictures of them touring Varanasi. CNN IBN reports that Kejriwal, formerly a self-proclaimed atheist, has taken a dip in the holy Ganga and sought blessings of Mother Ganga for what he calls is his ‘mission’.Kejriwal is slated to address a Jansabha (voters’ assembly) at Benia Bagh in Varanasi. The AAP chief also visited the Bhairon Mandir and sought blessings there, sporting an orange tika like other believers. From his itinerary at least, it has become clear that in Varanasi at least, Kejriwal wants to portray himself as as aam devotee, respectful of the religious order, craving its endorsement, as any other average Indian Hindu. [caption id=“attachment_1449193” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kejriwal arrives on Varanasi. Pic tweeted out by AAP.[/caption] 10.20 am: If Modi loses, he should go back to Gujarat, says Kejriwal Speaking to CNN IBN while on his way to Varanasi, Kejriwal said, “Imagine if Modi loses from Varanasi, the country will be saved from having him as the Prime Minister. I want to save the country. If Modi loses from Varanasi, he should go back to Gujarat.” The Aam Aadmi Party will hold a ‘referendum’ - their now renowned and much-criticised strategy - to decide if Kejriwal should be contesting against Modi in Varanasi. The odds against Kejriwal are steep - Varanasi has a sizable Hindu vote waiting to make its way to Modi’s ballot box and it is a seat that the BJP has been winning for several elections now. Issues related to religion are bigger in dimension and impact than the revulsion for corruption here, the latter being Kejriwal’s mainstay. After its Ahmedabad disaster, where the police ‘detained’ Kejriwal, the BJP has been playing it cool in Varanasi. Despite Kejriwal’s tall declarations, the party has neither responded to Kejriwal’s challenge, not gone out of the way to take snide, indirect digs at him. While BJP’s fans on Twitter have gone berserk as usual, not even a mildly significant leader has said anything about Kejriwal threat to combat Modi, leaving AAP to drum up all the noise by itself. 10.15 am: Will Kejriwal risk his poll fortunes for a direct combat with Modi? Hoping to recreate his successful Delhi poll debut, where he defeated Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit by a huge margin, Arvind Kejriwal announced that he is ready to take on Narendra Modi from the Varanasi constituency. However, he didn’t formally announce his candidature from the constituency and instead declared he would hold a mega-rally in the Hindu pilgrim town to gauge the mood of the people there. The rally is all set to kick off today in Varanasi with Kejriwal, and AAP’s social media team, warming up for it, rather scrupulously. Now most politicians on Twitter know better than paying attention to the over-enthusiastic, partly incoherent social media fanatics that every party nurtures. [caption id=“attachment_1449139” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Arvind Kejriwal. AFP.[/caption] You won’t find a Narendra Modi or a Shashi Tharoor responding to either glowing praise or virulent attacks on them on Twitter. They won’t, themselves, debunk or back the several improbable conspiracy theories floating around on the web. However, Kejriwal, either because he is edgy or because he wants a strong buzz before he lands in Varanasi, retweeted a tweet suggesting AAP is planning violence in Varanasi.

He also seemed to be drumming up buzz around issues he might possibly address in Varanasi. He posted a series of tweets on the Election Commission issuing notices to oil minister Veerappa Moily. The Times of India reports that senior leader Sanjay Singh has stationed himself in Varanasi over the past few weeks preparing for Kejriwal’s mega rally. The TOI report says: “Senior leaders like Sanjay Singh are camping in the city for the past two weeks, while more than 5,000 volunteers from across the state had reached Varanasi by Sunday evening and more are expected to arrive by Tuesday for the public meeting. The party has set a target of a crowd exceeding 1 lakh. “Unlike rallies of other parties, people here are coming on their own to listen to Kejriwal,” claimed Rajesh Singh, a volunteer.” Incidentally, Varanasi has now started trending on Twitter and the AAP social media team is said to have started a new hashtag ‘Chalo Benaras’. TOI observes that instead of Varanasi, the AAP team prefers calling the city Benaras to strike a chord with the thousands of people who prefer using the city’s old-school name. Supporters have already started gathering at Varanasi and Twitter is slowly warming up to images of crowds headed towards Kejriwal’s rally venue.Now, it has to be seen if Kejriwal indeed takes on Modi in Varanasi and heralds a direct combat with the BJP or finds a way out to ensure an electoral win from some other less controversial constituency.**********