Even as the Aam Aadmi Party slammed the BJP for “violent attacks” on its workers, who were protesting against the detention of party chief Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat on Wednesday, the party apologised for the action of its “angry” workers who were “provoked into retaliating.”
Addressing a late night press conference here, AAP leader Prashant Bhushan appealed to the party workers not to resort to violence no matter what the provocation. “There is no place for violence in our party. Our movement has been non-violent and that is how we intend to keep it,” he said.
The party also appealed to the Election Commission and the administration to ensure that there was no violence. Among those who were injured or manhandled in Delhi were JNU’s Anand Kumar and Rajmohan Gandhi.
“The detention of Arvind Kejriwal and the smashing of his car, violence unleashed on our party workers in different cities reveal the true face of the BJP. This is shameful for our democracy and our apprehension is that we are entering into a fascist phase. It only goes on to show how scared the BJP is with the rise of the AAP,” he said.
Responding to the BJP’s assertion that the AAP should have taken permission for demonstrating outside its headquarters, Mr. Bhushan said to protest in a non-violent manner was not only a fundamental right, but also the responsibility of every citizen.
