New Delhi: In an outreach ahead of the Gujarat elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal hosted lunch for a Gujarat sanitation worker and his family at his Delhi residence on Tuesday, September 27.
During a town hall meeting with safai karamcharis (sanitation workers) in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Kejriwal had invited Harsh Solanki and his family for lunch at his Delhi residence.
Solanki also visited the Delhi government’s Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in West Vinod Nagar, a government hospital and a mohalla clinic. Later, he met Kejriwal at his residence and gifted him a portrait of B.R. Ambedkar.
“I had the honour of hosting Harsh Solanki and his family. Our guests from Gujarat and our families had lunch together. We don’t have time for petty politics, we work for the public, that’s why the public likes us,” the chief minister told reporters.
“I thank them (the Solanki family) for travelling so far and giving us an opportunity to host them. I will go to their house to have a meal with them when I visit Ahmedabad again,” he said.
गुजरात से आए हर्ष सोलंकी के परिवार का अपने घर पर आदर सत्कार करने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ। हम दोनों के परिवारों ने साथ बैठकर खाना खाया। ईश्वर इनके पूरे परिवार को सुख-समृद्धि और ख़ूब तरक़्क़ी दें। pic.twitter.com/DJjTM2OIb2
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 26, 2022
Asserting that it was the public that helped them form the governments in Delhi and Punjab, Kejriwal said, “Now, the people of Gujarat are saying an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is going to be formed in their state too.”
“We don’t have time for petty politics. We work for the public. We build schools, hospitals and roads for the people. That’s why the public likes us. People do not like the politics of division. They want their voice to be heard and we do that,” he said.
Solanki said it was a proud moment for him to be hosted by a leader of a political party.
“For the first time in 75 years, a leader has invited a Dalit to have a meal at his residence. When I invited Shri Arvind Kejriwal to have a meal at my place, not only he accepted my invitation cordially but to my surprise, he invited me to have a meal at his residence first. I am having a wonderful experience,” he said.
Solanki also lauded the facilities at the Delhi government-run school, hospital and mohalla clinic.
“I am yet to believe that it is not a dream but reality. When I go back to Gujarat, I will tell people about the development brought by the Kejriwal government in Delhi,” he said.
During his meeting with Kejriwal, Solanki told the chief minister he wanted to visit a Valmiki temple in the national capital. He was assured that appropriate arrangements for a convenient visit to a Valmiki temple for his family would be made before they leave for Gujarat.
Earlier in the day, Solanki and his family visited the school in West Vinod Nagar and interacted with the students and teachers.
His sister said, “I have completed Class 12 from a private school in Gujarat. Delhi government schools are as good as any private school.”
Solanki and his family visited a mohalla clinic and were told that the clinics were not only for the residents of the neighbourhood but anyone from any part of the country and the globe can come there for treatment.
AAP’s Gujarat president Gopal Italia said Solanki underwent a demo checkup for a first-hand experience of the facilities and consultation provided at the clinic. Solanki and his family also visited a hospital run by the Delhi government after meeting Kejriwal.
Gujarat, where elections are due later this year, is the next big target of AAP, which already has governments in Delhi and Punjab.
(With PTI inputs)
