New Delhi, February 27 The Aam Aadmi Party, which was said to be facing an existential crisis after losing power to the BJP last year, received a boost after its national convener Arvind Kejriwal was discharged by a court in the excise policy case on Friday.
Allegations of a scam in the AAP's liquor policy were one of the main poll planks of the BJP in the assembly polls, striking at the heart of the party's identity, which was born out of an anti-corruption movement in 2013.
The BJP won 48 seats in the elections, removing the AAP from power in Delhi, the party's base, after a decade in government.
The Rouse Avenue court's harsh criticism of the CBI investigation has given Kejriwal and his party new energy.
The court discharged former chief minister Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the case, as it criticized the CBI, saying its case was wholly unable to withstand judicial scrutiny and was discredited in its entirety.
AAP leaders claimed that the verdict would serve as a major morale booster for the party leaders and workers in Delhi. Questions were raised about Kejriwal's absence in Delhi and his efforts to save Punjab, where the AAP is in power. "All these questions have been settled now, and the party will now focus on regaining its space in Delhi," said a senior AAP leader.
In his first press conference after the court's verdict, Kejriwal, a three-time chief minister, challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold fresh elections in Delhi, asserting that he would give up politics even if the BJP managed to win more than 10 seats.
He also criticized the BJP government in Delhi, alleging that the three crore people of Delhi have suffered the most due to the party's lust for power.
"Visit any part of Delhi now, the roads are broken. Medicines are no longer available in hospitals. Mohalla clinics are being shut down. Schools are in a bad condition. Pollution across Delhi has reached levels never seen before. The Yamuna is in a terrible state," he charged.
He questioned whether the BJP has improved anything after coming to power and said that the people of Delhi were fed up with it.
AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and the Aam Aadmi Party stood like a rock against the dictatorship of the BJP, and will continue to do so in the future.
The boost in the confidence of the party leaders and workers was visible as they thronged Kejriwal's Feroz Shah Road bungalow as he reached there from court after the verdict.
"Aam Aadmi Party workers erupted in joy as the court's verdict washed away the stain placed on their 'staunchly honest' leader Arvind Kejriwal," said a statement from the party.
All the senior leaders of the party, including Sisodia, Delhi unit president Manish Sisodia, MLAs Vishesh Ravi, and Kuldeep Kumar, among others, joined the celebrations at Kejriwal's residence.
However, the AAP has a tough road ahead, said party leaders.
The party faces the immediate challenge of facing assembly elections in Punjab, which is ruled by it. The elections in the state are due in February next year.
Kejriwal, who frequently visits Punjab, may now have an increased focus on taking on the BJP government in Delhi and attacking it on issues of public importance, they said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold a massive public rally at Jantar Mantar on March 1, in which Kejriwal is set to raise the issue of "thousands of contractual employees" allegedly removed by the Delhi government.
Bharadwaj said that the people of Delhi are distressed by the BJP government's "anti-people decisions" and want Kejriwal back.