AAP joins mahapanchayat, vows to fight against ‘bulldozer justice’

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday joined a massive mahapanchayat in Haryana’s historic Anangpur village, pledging full support to locals resisting what the party called a conspiracy to erase the village’s 1,300-year-old legacy. The protest, which drew large crowds from surrounding rural areas, was attended by a senior AAP delegation led by Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj, following directions from AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

The AAP team included senior Gurjar leaders such as Brahm Singh Tanwar, Mahabal Mishra, Sahiram Pehalwan, Ramesh Pehalwan and Krishan Jakhar.

Addressing the gathering, Bharadwaj drew parallels with the farmers’ protest against the Centre’s farm laws, saying that collective resistance had the power to overturn government decisions — then and now.

“Three years ago, farmers began a historic battle against the Centre’s black laws. They braved heat, cold, rain — even lost 600 of their own — yet they did not back down. A year later, the government was forced to repeal the laws. That’s the power of collective resistance,” Bharadwaj said. He accused the BJP-led government of hiding behind court rulings to justify its actions against the villagers, stating, “It was the government itself, fighting against its own people. The state hires top lawyers, while villagers are left defenceless. The government should be defending its people in court — not prosecuting them.”

Criticising what he described as the BJP’s selective respect for judicial authority, Bharadwaj pointed to recent instances where the Centre had overridden court decisions through ordinances when politically convenient.

He warned that the government’s actions threatened to displace lakhs of rural families, many from the Gurjar community, and called for a united front to resist the demolition drive. “This isn’t just about land — it’s about uprooting lakhs of people, many of whom belong to the Gurjar community and other rural families. If the government can pass ordinances for its own benefit, it can certainly do so to protect these families too,” he said.

Bharadwaj issued a direct appeal to villagers to resist on the ground. “I ask only one thing: when the bulldozers come, raise your voice. The entire AAP will stand with you. If we stand united in front of the bulldozers, no force can break us.”

Delhi