Kanhaiya Kumar: "Attack on me as people no longer accepting Manoj Tiwari"

INDIA bloc's North East Delhi candidate Kanhaiya Kumar on Saturday, 18 May, claimed the constituency's sitting MP Manoj Tiwari carried out the attack on him. This, Kumar said, was because Tiwari had realised that the people of the constituency were no longer accepting him.

Kumar's accusation of his BJP rival in the Lok Sabha elections came a day after he was allegedly assaulted and attacked with ink by some people. The incident happened outside the AAP office in the New Usmanpur area as he was coming out after a party meeting with local councillor Chhaya Sharma.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Kumar accused Tiwari of trying to instigate people against him though false rumours and doctored videos.

"Instead of showing his work, ever since I was nominated as the candidate for North-East Delhi, the MP (Tiwari) is continuously lying, circulating doctored videos and trying to instigate the common people."

He further alleged that the sitting North-East Delhi MP did not have even 10 projects to his name in the last 10 years.

"I feel that somewhere he has started to believe that perhaps the people of the constituency are not accepting him. That is why instead of answering the questions we are raising on behalf of the people of North-East Delhi, he is carrying out such attacks," Kumar said.

Kumar said people from across the country had expressed concern after the attack on him. He assured Congress workers and his supporters they need not worry as he was "fine".

"Manoj Tiwari is the richest candidate and I am the poorest. We do not have money, but we have courage," he added.

Urging people to vote in the Lok Sabha polls, the INDIA bloc candidate said:

Meanwhile, accusing Kumar of promoting 'tukde-tukde' ideology throughout the nation, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor on Saturday said that the day the Congress gave Kumar the party ticket, it was clear that he would have to face public opposition.

"Kumar is a symbol of the divisive tukde-tukde thought throughout the country, and wherever he goes, this divisive, anti-national image will go with him," he said.

Kumar, in a statement, had said the attack on him on Friday was ordered by his rival Manoj Tiwari. He had said Tiwari was frustrated with Kumar's rising popularity and that was why he sent "goons" to attack Kumar.

Polling in the national capital will take place on 25 May in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections.