New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday accused the BJP-led Central government and the Delhi police of conspiring to “kill” party supremo Arvind Kejriwal through “a calculated effort to undermine his safety” and urged the Election Commission to restore his security cover accorded by the Punjab police. The Opposition BJP, however, trashed the allegations as a “political stunt” and a false flag operation to cover up the diminishing popularity and governance failures of the AAP.
Swiftly countering the charge, Mr Kejriwal’s rival and BJP candidate from New Delhi constituency Parvesh Verma said: “The Delhi police provide full security (to Mr Kejriwal), so why does he need extra protection from Punjab? This is nothing but a political stunt ahead of the elections. Kejriwal is creating a false ‘security threat’ to divert attention from his growing failures. He is scripting this drama so that later he can claim, ‘I was attacked’, and the election theatrics will begin!”
“Kejriwal is trying to cover up his increasing unpopularity and failures by raising a non-issue about security. His move is a strategic distraction, aimed at diverting the public’s attention from real issues. Soon, we will see posters saying ‘Why was I attacked?’ -- this is nothing more than a desperate political manoeuvre”, he added.
Addressing a press conference, Delhi chief minister Atishi and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said they have written to the Election Commission demanding “fair ground” to the AAP in the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls and the restoration of Mr Kejriwal’s security cover that was earlier provided by the Punjab police, along with an audit of “life-threatening” attacks on him.
AAP leaders alleged that the Delhi police, which comes under the Centre, has turned a blind eye to the “attacks” on Mr Kejriwal in accordance with Union home minister Amit Shah’s orders. “There are two players involved in this conspiracy to kill Kejriwalji -- the BJP and the Delhi police. They are both conspiring to end Kejriwal’s life. Attacks have been attempted on him one after the other. In October (last year), an attack was made on Kejriwal. Upon investigation by us, it was found that the attackers were BJP workers, but the police took no action,” chief minister Atishi alleged.
In their joint letter to poll panel, both chief ministers claimed: “Over the past three months, there have been multiple targeted attacks on Kejriwal, all of which have occurred under the direct watch of the Delhi police, further exacerbating our concerns”.
Citing four incidents in the last few months, the letter said: “It is extremely disturbing that each of these incidents took place in the presence of Delhi police personnel. They simply acted as mute spectators and did not even make an attempt to protect Kejriwal ji’.
AAP leaders asserted that the Punjab police, which has been a crucial and reliable component of his security detail, has been abruptly withdrawn without consultation or justification. “This reckless and politically motivated decision has left Kejriwal entirely dependent on the Delhi police -- a force directly controlled by the BJP through its government at the Centre”.
“The repeated attacks, the blatant inaction of the Delhi police, and the withdrawal of the Punjab police security detail paint a chilling picture of a calculated effort to undermine Mr Kejriwal’s safety. This is not just a threat to his life but a direct attack on democracy itself,” the letter added.