On his maiden visit to Gujarat on Wednesday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was detained by the local police in Radhanpur taluka of Patan district. Though released after questioning for half-an-hour, Kejriwal was detained on grounds of alleged violation of the model code of conduct laid by the Election Commission on Wednesday morning.
Deputy Superintendent of Police G C Patel said Kejriwal was called for questioning as his convoy had created a traffic jam. “To ensure his safety, he was called to the police station.”
However, the senior district magistrate of Patan district said, “Kejriwal did not have the permission to carry out a procession. Hence, he was detained for violation of the code of conduct.” After his release, Kejriwal said, “This was not an election rally. I had come here to meet the people and hear their issues. And, I found people here are unhappy. But, (Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi does not want me to meet them.”
“It seems the government is too eager to hide something. The situation here is worse than emergency. If this is good governance, the country doesn’t need it,” he added.