Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today kick-started AAP’s poll campaign for the 2017 state elections in Gujarat. He accused his Gujarat counterpart Anandiben Patel of getting his programme in Surat cancelled.

Kejriwal, who landed in Rajkot on Saturday morning with his family members, first paid a visit to famous Lord Shiva temple in Somnath before launching the campaign.

The AAP National Convenor was accompanied by party leader Kumar Vishwas and his family.

b’Arvind Kejriwal | Source: PTI’

“My original programme of Gujarat was of two days; on Saturday we were to visit Somnath, and Sunday we had meeting in Surat. But Anandibenji put undue pressure on people and businessmen in Surat and got our programme cancelled,” he told reporters.

“In democracy, everybody has the right to express their views. Ours is a democracy,” the AAP chief said.

During the tour, he will also visit some villages of Junagadh, Gir-Somnath and Rajkot district to meet farmers to understand problems faced by them.

Kejriwal’s scheduled visit to Surat on July 10 had to be cancelled after a trade body withdrew its invitation, which AAP alleged was at the behest of state BJP government.