8 arrested in Gujarat over 'Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao' posters

As many as eight persons were arrested for allegedly putting up "objectionable slogans" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in public places and government properties in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, police said on Friday.

The Ahmedabad crime branch said that slogans like "Modi Hatao Desh Bachao" were put up in various parts city on March 30 in an "unauthorized manner".

The police said that during the investigation of the said incidents, eight persons were arrested.

Those arrested were identified as Natwarbhai Popatbhai, Jatinbhai Chandrakantbhai Patel, Kuldeep Sharadkumar Bhatt, Bipin Ravindrabhai Sharma, Ajay Sureshbhai Chauhan, Arvind Gorjibhai Chauhan, Jivanbhai Vasubhai Maheshwari, and Paresh Vasudevbhai Tulsiya.

Reacting to the incident, Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party president Isudan Gadhvi on Thursday said that the arrested workers were the party workers and alleged that the police action shows that the Bharatiya Janata Party is 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 tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party launched a nationwide poster campaign with slogans like "Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao" in 22 states, said AAP's state convener Gopal Rai on Thursday.

Gopal Rai also alleged at a press conference that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is engaged in ending the country's democratic systems instead of fixing the education-health system and removing unemployment.

Posters in Hindi, English and all other regional languages are being put up in 22 states across the country. "This campaign aims at sending the message across the nation about how PM Modi failed in fulfilling his promise to farmers, took away the rights of labourers, suppressed students in universities. PM Narendra Modi is engaged in ending the country's democratic systems," he alleged

Rai said that from April 10, similar posters would be put up at universities across the nation to make students aware about the campaign.

Earlier, on March 23 AAP held a big public meeting at Jantar Mantar under the slogan 'Modi Hatao Desh Bachao', which was addressed by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann.