Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, who were maintaining a low-profile in Bengaluru, previously known as Bangalore, since the blistering Lok Sabha campaign last year, got a major boost with the visit of Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday for a whirlwind fundraiser for the Delhi elections.
A banquet in the afternoon, with tickets priced at Rs. 20,000 each, had more than 200 guests and netted a cool Rs. 40 lakh for the party which has emerged as the main challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitions in the national capital.
The “selfie with mufflerman” campaign as well other individual donations has put between Rs 15 and 20 lakh in the party’s kitty, sources said.
Answering a question during the luncheon, he said, “Many of you might be wondering why we are holding a fundraiser here when the elections are in Delhi. Don’t forget that what happens in Delhi impacts the whole country.”
Kejriwal, who addressed a public meeting at the St. Aloysius College here, had the small but enthusiastic crowd of around 1,500 latching on to every word as he lampooned the Modi government and the BJP. Claiming that the AAP will receive a clear majority this time, he said, ”
“BJP held a rally yesterday (Saturday). They had set a target of 1 lakh people. Less than 30,000 people showed up. 2500 buses were deployed. That means about 12 people sat in one bus and came. The language used by them shows they are extremely nervous and scared.”
Responding to the “professional protestor” label given to him by the BJP, he said, “They did not criticise one thing we did in 49 days.
That means even BJP thinks we did well in 49 days.”
Bangalore: Kejriwal’s lunch bags Rs 40 lakh for AAP
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