New Delhi: Amid intense campaigning for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, senior AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday alleged BJP conspiracy to “murder” his party’s convener and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a charge the saffron party denied saying Sisodia was reading an “old script”.
Latching on to remarks by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, the deputy chief minister also said his language “betrays the conspiracy being hatched to assassinate Kejriwal” and he should be investigated.
The high-stakes MCD elections, which will be held on December 4, is being seen as a three-way contest between the BJP, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Showing some old tweets by Sisodia claiming threat to Kejriwal’s life, Tiwari at a press conference said, “He does this every year, claiming murder threat to Kejriwal. I don’t understand what is going on as Kejriwal claims Sisodia will be arrested, Sisodia himself prophecies that Kejriwal will be murdered.”
Citing the death of AAP leader Sandip Bhardwaj, the North East BJP MP also alleged that it was not suicide but “murder”. The top leadership of the AAP, including Kejriwal, were responsible for it, Tiwari said.
Fifty-five-year-old Bhardwaj was found hanging at his residence in west Delhi’s Rajouri Garden on Thursday and the BJP had demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
Bhardwaj was assured a ticket by the AAP for the MCD polls, but it was later sold to someone, forcing him to end his life, Tiwari alleged.
The BJP leader reiterated that he was concerned about Kejriwal’s security. On Thursday, Tiwari had triggered a row by saying that AAP’s MLAs and party leaders were being thrashed by their supporters over selling of tickets for the municipal polls.
“I am concerned about the Kejriwal’s security because people and AAP volunteers are angry over sustained corruption, selling of tickets, friendship with rapist and massage in jail incidents. Their MLAs too have been thrashed. It should not happen with the chief minister of Delhi…,” the MP had tweeted on Thursday.
Citing Tiwari’s remarks, Sisodia told a press conference that his language “betrays the conspiracy being hatched to assassinate Kejriwal” and demanded the BJP MP’s arrest.
There should be a probe to unravel the conspiracy to kill Kejriwal, said Sisodia, who on Thursday too had levelled the same allegations on the BJP and Tiwari.
“The AAP is not scared of such petty politics,” he asserted and added that “BJP MP Tiwari should be arrested immediately and strict action should be taken against him since he has openly threatened to kill Chief Minister Kejriwal”.