Manoj Tiwari will have to leave Delhi if NRC is implemented: CM Kejriwal

New Delhi: Taking a swipe at Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented here, the saffron party leader will be the first to leave the national capital.

The Bhojpuri singer-turned-politician, however, said the remark has exposed Mr Kejriwal’s “real face” and alleged that the AAP chief wants to evict migrants such as ‘Purvanchalis’.

‘Purvanchalis’ are people from the eastern parts of the country such as Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh, and they play an important role in any election in Delhi.

Responding to a question at a press conference, the chief minister said: “If NRC is implemented in Delhi, Manoj Tiwari will be the first to leave Delhi.”

Mr Tiwari, who is the MP from north-east Delhi, also claimed that Mr Kejriwal “wants to remove people from (West) Bengal, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and other states in Delhi”.

“Does Mr Kejriwal, who is an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer, does not know what NRC is? It seems Mr Kejriwal has lost his mental balance,” Mr Tiwari said, during a Facebook live interaction.

“This statement exposes Mr Kejriwal’s real face. It means he wants to evict the migrants like Purvanchalis from Delhi,” he said, adding that “I have criticised him (Mr Kejriwal) but never abused him”.