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After embracing Hindutva on Wednesday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal is trying out caste politics on Thursday.
As the campaign for Delhi elections heats up, Kejriwal has demanded job quotas for Jats and five other groups by including these castes in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Kejriwal attacked the BJP for not fulfilling its promise to provide reservations to Delhi's Jat community. He was speaking at a press conference.
He has written a letter to the Prime Minister demanding the inclusion of Delhi's Jat community in the Central OBC list.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal writes to PM Modi to include the Jat community of Delhi in the Center's OBC list pic.twitter.com/c7LZfux0yK
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2025
"In 2015, the BJP invited Jat leaders to the prime minister's residence and assured them that Delhi's Jat community would be included in the Central OBC list. Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised the same in 2019. However, nothing has been done to fulfil these promises" - Arvind Kejriwal
He pointed out that Rajasthan's Jat community could avail of the Central OBC quota but the community in Delhi was overlooked due to political differences. Apart from Jats, there are five castes that are included in Delhi's OBC list but not the Central list. Kejriwal demanded the inclusion of all six castes in the Central OBC list, promising to do all he can to get it done.
Dismissing BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya's claims of Kejriwal contesting from two seats, Kejriwal said that, "I will contest the election from one seat."
Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit pointed out that AAP only exists to oppose the Congress party, "I don't remember him saying even a single word against BJP in 2012-13".
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan wrote a post on X clarifying that if the INDIA bloc had contested the elections together, they would have won a complete majority. "The Congress Party has gained tremendous momentum", he added. His comments come after the Trinamool Congress bypassed the Congress Party to extend support to the AAP.
Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad said Congress should have supported AAP in the Delhi elections. He even claimed that BJP is gaining votes due to decisions by the Congress. They should respect the alliance partners, he adds. He was speaking to ANI.
#WATCH | On #DelhiElection2025 | TMC MP Kirti Azad says, "... Aam Aadmi Party is an important part of INDI Alliance and our leader Mamata Bandopadhyay respects each member. We support AAP which has been successfully running the government since 2013... Congress must learn that… pic.twitter.com/KI0TCDCYun
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2025
On the other corner, BJP candidate Parvesh Verma said, all the INDIA bloc parties are non-existent in Delhi. AAP is desperately running to its alliance partners because it can smell defeat; the BJP will certainly form a government in Delhi, he assured.
Verma also launched the ‘Har Ghar Naukri’ (jobs in every household) campaign to provide jobs to the unemployed youth of the capital. The job fair will start at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on January 15.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) party announced to contest two seats in the upcoming Delhi elections. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat announced that the party will support anyone who can defeat BJP. She also released the party's slogan, "BJP Harao, Delhi Bachao" (defeat BJP, save Delhi).