Both the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party broke into tirades of allegations against each other after a violent clash between their volunteers in Tughlakabad on Saturday evening.
The former alleged that the “violence unleashed by the BJP on AAP volunteers was a clear indication that it wanted to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the Capital ahead of the Assembly elections”. The latter countered this by alleging that “it was AAP workers who were repeatedly indulging in violence”.
At the heart of the episode was the alleged burning of a car which belonged to AAP candidate Sahi Ram. It burst into flames around 4-30 p.m. at a DDA park in the area. The AAP alleged it was set ablaze by “BJP hoodlums” led by the nephew of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri. The BJP retorted by blaming the AAP of “staging” the incident.
“It is shocking that a mob led by the MP’s nephew attacked the AAP volunteers in broad daylight when a TV news channel was conducting a debate in the DDA park at Tuglakabad. Armed with sharp weapons, they attacked the AAP volunteers, who were participating in the TV programme and inflicted serious injuries on them without any provocation,” the AAP claimed in a statement. It added that at least 10 volunteers had to be taken to AIIMS trauma centre for treatment and in preparation of their medico-legal reports.
Delhi BJP media in-charge Praveen Shankar Kapoor, however, claimed that AAP workers attacked four BJP workers returning from a TV programme around 3 p.m. “To suppress the issues, the AAP workers themselves burnt a car and around 4-30 p.m. made a PCR call alleging that the car had been burnt by BJP workers,” he said.
“The allegation is a total farce. In fact, AAP workers attacked a BJP worker, Sanjeev Kumar, at Tughlakabad on December 25 and, in another incident recently, AAP workers had damaged the car of our Karol Bagh district Yuva Morcha president. The AAP councillor has repeatedly misbehaved with a BJP leader in Okhla, Sanjeev Bidhuri. Police reports were lodged by us in regard to all these incidents at respective police stations,” the BJP said in its statement.
Both parties have ‘urged’ the Delhi Police to take ‘appropriate action’ against the accused instigator(s) of the episode.
