New Delhi:
In December, 2013, when Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, or the AAP, made a blockbuster debut in the Delhi assembly polls, winning 28 of 70 seats, one of their most vociferous backers were the auto-rickshaw drivers. The former chief minister is back to courting them again by addressing a rally at Ramlila Maidan today.
Promising to provide a lawyer to rickshaw drivers being 'unjustly' targeted by cops, Mr Kejriwal asked the crowd of 6,000 auto-rickshaw drivers to unite to bring AAP back to power. AAP leaders also blamed the police for "turning away and slowing down" many of the rickshaw drivers to prevent them from reaching the rally venue.
The majority of city's 95,000 auto-rickshaw drivers have been strong votaries of AAP and had actively campaigned for the party in the state assembly elections. But they showed signs of getting disenchanted with the AAP in the Lok Sabha polls held a few months later, when the BJP made a clean sweep in the capital, bagging all seven seats.
The disillusionment among the auto-rickshaw drivers was evident at a Maha-Panchayat organized for them at Burari in February, in which he was forced to rush off the stage after supporters became violent alleging that their interests were being ignored by the AAP government.
Mr Kejriwal's rally today is seen to be part of his efforts to woo back his core supporters. Mr Kejriwal is also scheduled to hold a rally at Jantar Mantar on Sunday to voice grievances about the non-dissolution of the legislative assembly of Delhi. He is expected to use the twin rallies to lash out against the Narendra Modi government, which rules Delhi by proxy. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung acts as the centre's representative in Delhi presently.
Mr Kejriwal resigned from the Delhi chief minister's post on February 14, after his plans to get the Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly was stalled by the BJP and the Congress. His tenure lasted a mere 49 days. The Delhi assembly was placed under suspended animation after Mr Kejriwal resigned. The AAP has been demanding fresh elections in Delhi.