Morbi: Amid rising political activity ahead of the upcoming local body elections in Gujarat, a public meeting organized by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Morbi on Monday under the “Gujarat Jodo Abhiyan” took a controversial turn when a youth was slapped for questioning state party chief Isudan Gadhvi over Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s governance.

The rally was held at Rajnagar on Wawdi Road, where AAP Gujarat President Isudan Gadhvi addressed a large crowd. During the address, a local youth named Bharat Fultariya approached the stage and attempted to question Gadhvi about AAP’s performance in Delhi.

Speaking to the media, Bharat said, “Isudan Gadhvi was talking about waterlogging and corruption, so I said, ‘You’re talking about corruption and waterlogging, but AAP has been in power in Delhi for 11 years, and yet the Yamuna River overflowed into parts of the city. What were you doing then?’”

Bharat further questioned AAP’s earlier stance on the construction of the Ram Mandir, saying, “Arvind Kejriwal had opposed the temple and had said that instead of building the Ram Mandir, a hospital, school, or college should be built. So how are you now taking Ram’s name?”

His third question was regarding AAP’s claim of being corruption-free: “Your leaders were in jail on corruption charges and are now out on bail. You built a Sheesh Mahal — a ₹35 crore mansion for your Chief Minister,” he said.

Before Bharat could finish, a man from the crowd, reportedly one Ashwin Patel alias AK, snatched the microphone from him and slapped him in full public view, causing a major uproar. The AAP later claimed that the attacker was not a party member. Mahadev Patel, Morbi district AAP president, stated, “We do not recognize the person who slapped the youth, and he is not associated with AAP.”

The incident triggered outrage, with Bharat saying, “After I asked these questions, a man slapped me. If we’re being slapped just for asking questions, what will happen if you actually come to power? Today they slapped me — tomorrow, it could be someone else.”

Responding to the controversy, Isudan Gadhvi blamed the BJP, calling the incident part of a “conspiracy hatched at the Chief Minister’s level.” He alleged that the BJP was frightened by the turnout at the rally and had sent agents to disrupt the event. “Just like in Visavadar, the BJP is rattled by AAP’s growing support. This is an example of the BJP’s dirty politics,” Gadhvi said.

He emphasized that AAP does not support any form of violence and reiterated that the person who slapped the youth is not connected to the party.

The incident, now widely shared online, is being viewed as a test of how AAP handles dissent within its own public forums — especially as it positions itself as a serious challenger to the BJP in Gujarat. DeshGujarat