At the Mahapanchayat against farmer repression in Gujarat, Kejriwal said — BJP is a tyrannical government; this time it must go

• “BJP has become a burden on Gujarat’s soil; in the Assembly elections all Gujaratis together will remove this burden” — Kejriwal
• “Seeing 85 farmers jailed for demanding their rights, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s land Gujarat is weeping” — Kejriwal
• “We wanted to honour the families of jailed farmers, but BJP’s police removed them from the stage” — Kejriwal
• “In front of Trump BJP people get scared, but they have no shame in sending poor farmers to jail” — Kejriwal
• “By making CM Bhupendra Patel a dummy CM and Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi a ‘super CM’, BJP insulted the Patel community” — Kejriwal
• “This time the people of Gujarat will sweep away the dirt with the broom and free Gujarat from the tyrannical BJP government” — Bhagwant Mann

New Delhi/Gujarat, Nov 2025 : “There is a cruel and tyrannical BJP government in Gujarat, but in this election the BJP must leave power,” said Arvind Kejriwal, national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, at a mass panchayat held on Friday in Sudamada village of Surendranagar district, calling for united action. He said the BJP government had jailed 85 farmers who were demanding their rights. “Seeing this, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s land Gujarat is crying,” he said. “We wanted to invite the families of jailed farmers and honour them on stage, but BJP’s police removed them from the stage.” He added that Harsh Sanghavi ordered a lathi-charge on farmers and that BJP had insulted the entire Patel community by making Bhupendra Patel a dummy CM and making Harsh Sanghavi the de facto ‘super CM’. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other senior leaders were present.

“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel fought farmers’ battles, but the British never lathi-charged” — Kejriwal

Addressing the crowd at the farmers’ mahapanchayat in Sudamada village, Surendranagar, Kejriwal said that 150 years ago on October 31 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on Gujarat’s sacred soil, and today we are celebrating his 150th birth anniversary. “Sardar Patel is called the lion of Gujarat and India. In India’s history the largest fight for farmers was led by Sardar Patel. In 1918 Sardar Patel led the Kheda movement against the British, and in 1928 the Bardoli Satyagraha; the British had to accept all their demands. When Sardar Patel led movements 100 years ago, the British never lathi-charged, never used tear gas shells, never filed false FIRs, never registered 307 cases against farmers to send them to jail.”

“BJP government filed fake cases against farmers demanding abolition of the Karda practice” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal said Sardar Patel would never have imagined that a hundred years after independence such a cruel and tyrannical BJP government would come and lathi-charge farmers demanding their rights, fire tear gas, file false 307 cases and send them to jail. “If Sardar Patel’s soul is watching, it must be in great sorrow to see what Gujarat has become and what kind of government has come. Farmers are crying on Sardar Patel’s land. BJP has jailed 85 farmers — only because they were fighting for their rights.”

“Adivasi leader Chaitar Vasava, who raised tribal voices, was also jailed on false charges” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal said they had invited the families of jailed farmers to the mahapanchayat and wanted to seat and honour them on the stage, but those families were not allowed to sit on the stage and were removed. “Such a government is shameful. We stand with all those families. We will bring out every farmer from jail by hiring the best lawyers if needed.” He recalled that in July tear gas was used against pastoralist farmers in north Gujarat, they were lathi-charged, falsely charged and jailed. AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava had raised tribal voices, and the Gujarat government filed false cases against him and jailed him too. “They only know how to send people to jail.”

“While BJP celebrate Diwali at home, jailed farmers’ families weep” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal said Gujaratis had never seen such a cruel, tyrannical and arrogant government in the past 75 years. Farmers are demanding abolition of the Karda custom. The BJP had promised MSP when it formed the central government, but MSP has still not been given. When a farmer brings produce to market, under Karda practice he is not even paid the full price. Farmers are not receiving their rights. Despite this, police entered farmers’ homes and beat their children. “BJP are celebrating Diwali at home while farmers sit at home crying for their jailed children. AAP stands with every farmer’s family.”

“AAP is ready to go to jail for farmers to secure their rights” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal said a jailed farmer’s mother told him her son is fighting the freedom struggle of poor farmers. “You can hit my son as much as you want; it doesn’t matter to me,” she said — to which Kejriwal replied, “Don’t worry. AAP stands with the farmers. I am also your son; police will beat me first — Kejriwal will go to jail first.”

“Cowardly BJP hide behind the police; if they drop that, farmers will chase and beat them” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal accused BJP of cowardice and of using the police to do its dirty work. “If BJP stop hiding behind police, Gujarat’s farmers will drag BJP people out of their homes and beat them, there will be no refuge.”

“If BJP have courage, threaten Trump; don’t show force on farmers” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal said farmers in more than 400 mandis of Gujarat are united and protests are ongoing. BJP people are so cowardly they obey US President Trump: when Trump asked to remove import duty on US cotton, BJP did it; when Trump asked to stop buying crude from Russia, BJP did that too. Trump says he made peace between India and Pakistan — BJP lacks courage to respond. “In front of Trump BJP people wet their pants. They bow to Trump but send poor farmers to jail. If BJP have courage, threaten Trump; don’t display strength on farmers.”

“Harsh Sanghavi ordered lathi-charge and imprisonment of farmers and was rewarded with deputy CM post” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal alleged that Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi ordered the jailing, lathi-charges, and false 307 cases on farmers and had legislators like Chaitar Vasava, Praveen Ram, Raju Kapadia jailed; BJP rewarded Sanghavi by making him Deputy CM. Kejriwal said watching videos of police brutality brought him to tears. He warned BJP that its downward count has begun. “Thirty-seven years ago arrogance led to Congress being shot at, 14 farmers were killed and Congress never again formed government in Gujarat. This time BJP’s fate will be the same — BJP government will go and will not return for 50 years.”

“Now it’s not CM Bhupendra Patel but Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi who rules Gujarat” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal said that after the bypoll result in Visavadar BJP got scared and changed the whole ministry. “Changing the ministry won’t work — now the government will change. Bhupendra Patel has been made a dummy CM; Harsh Sanghavi is the super CM. By making Patel a dummy CM BJP has insulted the entire Patel community.”

“There is collusion between BJP and Congress; that’s why Congress leaders don’t go to jail” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal alleged a secret pact between BJP and Congress, likening them to husband and wife with joint business interests. “Congress doesn’t want BJP to lose power in Gujarat so their businesses keep running. Why is it only AAP leaders like Chaitar Vasava and Praveen Ram who go to jail? Not a single Congress leader goes to jail — there must be some setting between them.”

“AAP raises farmers’ voice while BJP uses lathis” — Kejriwal

He repeated that BJP has become a burden on Gujarat’s soil and people must remove it. “Like the British, BJP thinks no one can remove them from Gujarat, but they must go. AAP stands with farmers; BJP attacks them with lathis. Gujarat belongs to us, not to BJP leaders’ families. They have looted enough; their children study abroad while our children are jailed. In the upcoming Assembly elections we must defeat BJP across Gujarat like Visavadar.”

“Gujarat government must pay ₹50,000 per hectare compensation for crops ruined by rain” — Kejriwal

Kejriwal pointed to crop destruction due to rain and demanded ₹50,000 per hectare compensation for affected farmers, citing Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s action of disbursing ₹50,000 per hectare quickly after floods in Punjab.

“From the country the white British left, but now new black British are troubling the people” — Bhagwant Mann

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said BJP will be held accountable for its atrocities. He said farmers feed the nation — Punjab produces vast quantities of rice and wheat — and if farmers are oppressed they will teach a lesson. Mann described the poor state of roads and the lack of compensation for crop losses in Gujarat, contrasted with Punjab where speedy compensation was provided. He urged Gujaratis to stand firm and said AAP will support them.

Mann praised the broom symbol (AAP’s election symbol) for cleaning up corruption and said under Kejriwal’s leadership they would clean the entire country. He called the struggle existential, not personal, and vowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with Gujarat’s farmers, predicting victory.