Ashish Ranjan
The placement of “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” posters in different areas of Ahmedabad has resulted in the arrest of eight individuals. The arrests occurred just one day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) initiated a nationwide poster campaign against the prime minister, Narendra Modi.
According to the Ahmedabad Police, a case has been opened and further investigation is ongoing.
The Ahmedabad Police stated that objectionable posters were erected without authorization in various sections of the city.
Isudan Gadhvi, the leader of the AAP in Gujarat, stated that those detained are party members. Mr. Gadhvi accused the BJP of “dictatorship” and argued that the arrests indicate that the party is “terrified.”
Mr. Gadhvi tweeted, “Look at the dictatorship of the BJP! Aam Aadmi Party workers in Gujarat have been jailed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the Modi hatao, desh bachao posters! If this is not fear of Modi and the BJP, then what is? Try as hard as you want! Aam Aadmi Party workers will fight!”
The “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” campaign of the AAP was introduced in eleven languages throughout the nation. Besides English, Hindi and Urdu, posters have been released in Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, Kannada, Malayalam and Marathi as well.
Thousands of anti-PM posters appeared on the walls of the nation’s capital last week, prompting a massive police crackdown in which 49 FIRs were filed and six individuals were arrested. Two of the arrested individuals were printing press owners.
The Delhi Police stated that the arrests were made for defacing public property and because the posters did not, as required by law, bear the name of the printing press that produced them.In response to the arrests, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal stated that even the British did not detain those who displayed anti-British posters during the independence movement.
“Even before independence, when freedom fighters displayed posters, the British did not file FIRs or take action against them,” Mr. Kejriwal was quoted as saying by the PTI news agency. During British rule, Bhagat Singh posted numerous posters, but no FIR was filed against him.
Also Read | India records 3,095 fresh Covid cases in 24 hours
In the Gujarat Assembly elections of 2012, the AAP won five seats and garnered 13% of the popular vote. As anticipated, the BJP won 156 of the 182 seats in the Assembly.
