‘BJP wants to eliminate Kejriwal; its leadership knew about attack’

Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 21

A day after the chilli powder attack on CM Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi Secretariat, his deputy Manish Sisodia made serious allegations that top leadership of the BJP knew about it. Her said it wants to eliminate the Chief Minister to stop him from working for people. This is the fourth such attack on Kejriwal and in none of these cases a chargesheet has been filed till date against any of the accused, said Sisodia alleging collusion between the Delhi Police and the BJP.

The AAP today claimed that the attacker, identified as Anil Kumar Sharma, is an active member of the opposition party in Delhi. Sharma has been sent to 14-day judicial custody till December 5. Sisodia alleged that after the BJP failed in its previous attempts as a part of its conspiracy to eliminate Kejriwal, it planted the attack yesterday and is using the police as a “fighters’ wing”. He slammed the Delhi Police accusing it of shielding the attacker and misleading the media in projecting that the chilli powder dropped inadvertently. “But the CCTV camera footage clearly shows the intent of attacker....The police might be upset that their plan didn’t materialise,” Sisodia alleged. He also expressed displeasure over LG Anil Baijal’s silence on the matter saying that even after 24 hours of the attack the LG has not given a single statement on it. This means that he also knew about it, he alleged. Further, Sisodia also disapproved Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s move of ringing Kejriwal and asking him to lodge a complaint over the attack for the investigation. “Though an FIR was registered later, but is this the way an attack on a CM should be probed?” Sisodia asked.

Sisodia claimed the Facebook profile of the accused and his comments after being arrested yesterday makes it clear that he is an “active member of the BJP”. “His profile has Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo and his entire social media presence is filled with vitriolic hate against Kejriwal. His Aadhar card also revealed that he lives next to the nominated vice-chairperson of the NDMC and former MLA and BJP leader Karan Singh Tanwar,” stated the AAP leader while raising question on the police’s handling of the matter.

AAP protests outside BJP HQ

In the evening, the AAP volunteers held a demonstration outside BJP national headquarters raising anti-BJP and anti-police slogans. The “growing popularity” of Kejriwal and AAP has been giving jitters to the BJP, so it has stooped to “hooliganism and blatant abuse of law machinery”, they claimed. However, state BJP chief Manoj Tiwari today claimed the attack was “stage-managed” by the AAP itself.

Leaders condemn attack

Meanwhile, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, an admirer of the AAP model of governance, condemned the attack on Kejriwal. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had criticised the incident yesterday saying that the attack by the assailant in Kejriwal’s office should be viewed seriously by the Centre. “Highly condemn the shameful & cowardly attack on Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal yesterday. He is a man with an impeccable image & tremendous popularity,” Sinha tweeted.