A day after an unsettling attack during a public rally in Delhi, AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal voiced his dismay, asking, “What was my fault?” The incident, which occurred during a public rally in Malviya Nagar, saw a man splash liquid on Mr Kejriwal on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Kejriwal targeted the Centre, particularly Home Minister Amit Shah, over the law and order situation in the national capital.
“I had this expectation that Amit Shah will take some action after I raised the issue (law & order). But, instead of that, I was being attacked during my padyatra. Liquid was thrown at me, it was harmless, but it could have been harmful,” Mr Kejriwal said.
The AAP chief linked the attack to issues of governance, questioning the state of law and order in the capital. “We were only raising issues of public safety and crime. If you can, arrest the gangsters; why target us instead?” he asked.
The incident, which AAP claims was an attempt to set Mr Kejriwal on fire, unfolded as he shook hands with supporters during his rally. According to Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, the attacker had both a matchbox and a liquid that smelled like spirit.
“A man threw spirit on him. We could smell it, and there was an attempt to burn him alive,” Mr Bharadwaj alleged, adding that alert volunteers thwarted what could have been a disastrous situation. Mr Bharadwaj also accused the attacker of being linked to the BJP.
The BJP was quick to refute AAP’s allegations, calling the incident a “publicity stunt.” Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva dismissed AAP’s claims, suggesting the episode was orchestrated to garner sympathy. “Delhiites are asking why such incidents happen only with him,” Mr Sachdeva said.
The accused, identified as Ashok Jha, a 41-year-old bus marshal employed by the Delhi Transport Corporation, has been detained. The Delhi Police, which comes under the Union Home Ministry, stated that Jha had acted out of frustration over not receiving his salary for six months.
During interrogation, Jha allegedly claimed that he had donated to AAP during its formation but was disillusioned by what he called “fake promises.”
According to police, the liquid was water, not spirit, as AAP alleged.
‘Victim Of Gangsters’
After AAP MLA Naresh Balyan was arrested in connection with an extortion case, Mr Kejriwal defended him, alleging that he was being targeted by gangsters and falsely implicated in the case.
“Yesterday, one of our MLAs was arrested. The crime that he (Naresh Balyan) has committed is that he was the victim of gangsters. He had received calls from gangsters for ransom and threats, one to two years back. He had also filed complaints many times,” Mr Kejriwal claimed.
The MLA from Uttam Nagar was summoned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for questioning. Following hours of interrogation, he was taken into custody. According to police, the arrest stems from an extortion case lodged last year.
A senior officer claimed that an audio clip allegedly featuring a conversation between Naresh Balyan and gangster Kapil Sangwan, who is believed to be operating from abroad, had surfaced on social media. The purported conversation reportedly discussed extortion money collections from local businessmen. The police said that the matter is under investigation, with further interrogations expected.
No Alliance Talks
Mr Kejriwal ruled out the possibility of an alliance between AAP, Congress or any INDIA bloc partners for the Delhi Assembly Elections scheduled next year.
“There will be no alliance in Delhi,” Mr Kejriwal said.
The AAP and Congress fought the Lok Sabha Elections together but it ended in a debacle as the BJP won all seats. The AAP and Congress were also engaged in seat-sharing talks before the Haryana Assembly elections in October but the talks failed, and the BJP won the elections.