Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday welcomed a sanitation worker, whom he had invited for lunch at his residence during a town hall with members of the community in Gujarat.
In a video shared on the AAP’s official Twitter handle, the worker, Harsh Solanki, and his family were greeted with a bouquet by Kejriwal. Solanki presented the AAP chief with a portrait of BR Ambedkar as the Delhi CM hugged him.
“Moment of the day, CM @ArvindKejriwal welcomes an ordinary Safai Karamchari Harsh Solanki from Gujarat, at his house,” the AAP’s caption read.
AAP leaders had also received Solanki at the airport and escorted him to Kejriwal’s place for lunch. Raghav Chadha, AAP’s Gujarat co-in charge, was spotted receiving Solanki and his family with folded hands at the airport.
Gujarat से Delhi आए हमारे मेहमान, Harsh Solanki और उनके परिवार का हार्दिक स्वागत है 💐 pic.twitter.com/ywYFJlsxuk
During the party’s town hall with sanitation workers, predominantly from the Dalit community, in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Solanki invited Kejriwal to have dinner at his house.
“Sir, I have a request. The way you came to Gujarat last time and had a meal at the home of an auto-driver, will you come to the home of someone from the Valmiki community and have a meal?” Mr Solanki said.
“Harsh, I will definitely come to your home. But before that, I have a suggestion. Will you accept,” Kejriwal said. When Solanki agreed, Kejriwal said, “I have seen ahead of elections, all leaders go to the home of Dalits and have food. But to date, no leader has invited a Dalit to his home. So, will you come to my home for a meal?”
The audience responded with loud cheers and claps when the invitation was accepted. In a statement, Kejriwal later said he would host Solanki and his family at his residence over lunch.
"Tomorrow I shall host Harsh ji at my house in Delhi and have lunch with him. His presence will bless my house. I feel honoured that he has accepted my invitation," the chief minister had said on Sunday.
Solanki would also be taken to Delhi government schools and hospitals. The AAP aims to exhibit its “Delhi model” of development and emulate the same in Gujarat.
Earlier, Kejriwal had dined at an auto driver’s residence in Ahmedabad on the latter’s invite. It was during this visit that Kejriwal had a heated exchange with personnel of the Gujarat Police as he refused to take security with him during his auto ride to the driver’s house.
