Eight arrested over ‘objectionable posters’ targeting Modi in his home state Gujarat; ‘dictatorship’, says AAP

• Shubham
• 31 March, 2023

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By: Shubham Ghosh

Eight people have been arrested in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad for allegedly putting up posters targeting prime minister Narendra Modi, seeking his ouster.

The arrests took place a day after the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a nationwide poster campaign against Modi.

According to sources in the city police, a case has been registered and further probe is underway. The police said “objectionable posters” were put up in various parts of the city in the state of Gujarat, which is also the prime minister’s home state, in an “unauthorised manner”.

Isudan Gadhvi, AAP’s chief in the state, said the arrested are party workers and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of dictatorship and claimed that the arrests were a sign that the rulers were “scared”.

“Look at the dictatorship of BJP! Aam Aadmi Party workers in Gujarat have been jailed under various sections of the IPC in connection with the posters of Modi hatao desh bachao! If this is not fear of Modi and BJP, then what else? Try as hard as you want! Aam Aadmi Party workers will fight,” Gadhvi said in a tweet in Hindi.

भाजपा की तानाशाही देखो ! मोदी हटाओ देश बचाओ के पोस्टर मामले में गुजरात में आम आदमी पार्टी के कार्यकताओं पे आईपीसी की विविध धाराए लगा कर जेल में बंध कर दिया है !ये मोदी और भाजपा का डर नहीं है तो और क्या है ? चाहे जितना भी ज़ोर लगा लो ! आम आदमी पार्टी के कार्यकर्ता लड़ेंगे !

— Isudan Gadhvi (@isudan_gadhvi) March 30, 2023

The AAP has launched “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” (Remove Modi, Save Country) across the nation in as many as 10 Indian languages besides English, including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Odiya, Kannada, Malayalam and Marathi.

Last week, six people were arrested in Delhi after thousands of posters targeting Modi appeared on walls across the national capital. The arrested included two who own a printing press.

The Delhi Police, which launched a massive crackdown against those responsible for the posters, said the arrests were made for defacing public property and because the posters did not bear the name of the press where they were printed, as sought under law.

Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal slammed the move, saying even the British colonial masters did not arrest those who put up posters against them during India’s freedom movement.