New Delhi: Former BJP MLA Anil Jha on Sunday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of the party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
Jha, a two-time BJP MLA from the Kirari Assembly constituency, joined the AAP at an event in the national capital.
This came after Kailash Gahlot, a senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and minister in the Delhi Government, quit the AAP.
"I thank those who weaved the fabric of social justice for the people of Purvanchal, Dalits, and backward classes. There is no place for Purvanchal in the party I used to work for. I thank Arvind Kejriwal who worked for the people of unauthorized colonies. If anyone is strengthening the slogan of social justice, it is Arvind Kejriwal. The people of Purvanchal, Magadh, and Awadh are standing with you," Jha said while speaking to the media.
Welcoming Anil Jha, Kejriwal said that he (Jha) is considered one of the biggest leaders of the Purvanchal community. AAP national convenor also hit out at the opposition (Congress and BJP) parties, saying that both parties have only served injustice to the community. He further praised the AAP government for bringing development in the "illegal colonies" of the Purvanchal community.
"I welcome Anil Jha to AAP. He is one of the leaders who worked for the people of Purvanchal. Anil Jha is considered one of the biggest leaders of Purvanchal. When people of UP and Bihar couldn't get a better education and services in their state, they came to Delhi for education and employment. When the DDA failed to build houses for the poor, then illegal colonies were built and a large number of people from Purvanchal lived in them. Both parties (Congress and BJP) have done injustice to the people of Purvanchal. When I became the CM, for the first time I started laying roads, sewers, and water pipelines in illegal colonies. We have laid water pipelines in 1650 out of 1750 illegal colonies...," Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference.
Kejriwal further accused the Centre of overlooking the Purvanchal community and questioned the BJP about the work done by them for the community.
"There are two governments in Delhi, one is the state government and the other is the central government. Both have power and resources. The centre has a lot of money. Delhi Govt is a small govt. The Delhi government has done so much work for the Purvanchal people. Amit Shah and BJP should tell what they did for the people of Purvanchal. They did not have the intention. Why should the Purvanchal community vote for them?... BJP has only cheated people. In the last election, to get the votes of the Purvanchal community, Amit Shah and Hardeep Puri had announced that they were starting registration, but in five years not even a single registration has been done in slum colonies. Although a lot of work still needs to be done, we have worked in the last ten years," he added.
