BJP wants Kejriwal dead: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday alleged a "deep conspiracy" to eliminate its convener and ex-Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, and warned that the BJP would be responsible if anything happened to him.

On Friday, AAP leaders had claimed Kejriwal was attacked by "BJP goons" during his padayatra campaign in west Delhi's Vikaspuri. Kejriwal, however, said despite the Vikaspuri incident, he would continue the padayatra campaign as per schedule. The police can take cognisance of the incident and conduct its probe, he said, adding that the AAP was taking legal advice for further action in the matter.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that BJP leaders are supporting Kejriwal's "attackers" and at a press conference, said "police complicity in the incident clearly shows a deep conspiracy to kill Kejriwal. The BJP has become an enemy of his life".

He asserted that Kejriwal would "neither stop nor bow down" and continue to fight for the people of Delhi, but said if anything happened to Kejriwal, the BJP would be responsible for it. Even if Kejriwal got a scratch, Delhi's people would take revenge on the BJP, he added.

BJP leaders have rubbished the AAP's claim, saying he was facing protests by locals over the supply of dirty water to their homes. BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh criticised the AAP for blaming the BJP for the alleged attack.

Singh suggested that AAP leaders should face the reality that residents of Delhi are "fed up" with their representatives. "AAP blames one party or another for every issue, but the reality is that people are simply tired of their MLAs," Singh told IANS, pointing out recent incidents where AAP MLAs faced backlash from their own constituencies.

"AAP MLA M. Goyal was chased away by women recently, and another MLA faced similar treatment due to a water crisis that went unaddressed," he said, adding that the "AAP is failing to resolve the problems of the people".

Singh denied the allegations made by AAP that "BJP goons" launched a "deadly attack". However, Delhi chief minister Atishi asserted at a press conference that the BJP "cannot defeat Arvind Kejriwal in elections" and instead "wants to kill him through dirty politics".

"First, they tried to harm him by stopping his insulin while he was in jail on a fake case, and now this attack. BJP wants to kill Arvind Kejriwal," Atishi claimed.

AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj added, "Whenever Arvind Kejriwal interacts with the public, he receives immense affection. It seems the BJP is unable to handle this, leading BJP-affiliated individuals to attempt an attack on him. If anything happens to Kejriwal, the BJP will be responsible."

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai claimed that the incident was "orchestrated" by BJP leaders. "All those who attacked Kejriwal are BJP leaders. The videos and photos that are surfacing show that those people were leaders and workers of BJP. They should refrain from making false claims that people of Delhi are frustrated," Rai said.

"First, they filed a fake case against Kejriwal, arrested him and conspired to kill him by stopping his insulin. When the court released him, the BJP got its goons to attack him," he added.

He further claimed that the attacks would not stop Kejriwal from contesting elections. "The BJP is trying to stop him from contesting elections. But I want to tell you that Kejriwal neither stopped, nor is he going to stop in the future. I feel that if the BJP have confidence and faith in their work and policies, then they should go among the public. They will decide whether they want AAP or BJP in the national capital. Such condemnable acts will not help anyone. It will only deteriorate the level of politics."

Former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia also accused the BJP of planning the attack and said "if anything happens to Kejriwal, the responsibility will be on the part of BJP."

In response, Delhi BJP leaders labelled AAP's accusations as unfounded, suggesting they were statements made "out of frustration." The BJP countered that there was no attack but rather dissatisfaction among locals, who had confronted Kejriwal and his MLAs over issues like water quality.

"Why is Kejriwal upset when questioned by the public?" asked Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, who claimed that Vikaspuri residents had asked Kejriwal and his team to taste the water themselves. "Living in a Sheesh Mahal, Kejriwal is no longer accustomed to facing the realities on the ground."

Sachdeva also slammed Kejriwal's governance, saying, "You've deceived and exploited Delhi over issues of roads, electricity, and water, and people are demanding answers."

However, as there were reports of Sachdeva being hospitalised after taking a dip in the river Yamuna at Chathh ghat near ITO on Thursday, Rai said, "I want to wish him a speedy recovery, but as far as Yamuna and Delhi pollution is concerned, I want to inform BJP leaders that the pollution will not be reduced by doing such drama.

"For this, we have to come together. We feel that if the government and people will make efforts together, then only we will definitely succeed in reducing the level of pollution."