Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to engage with him in a public debate on any matter, reported PTI. He said the voters of Delhi want to know why should they pick the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections on February 8.
Kejriwal had on Tuesday dared the BJP to name a chief ministerial candidate by 1 pm on Wednesday and had said he was ready for a debate with that person.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kejriwal accused Shah of resorting to “petty conspiracies” by getting the police to find links between a man who opened fire in the Shaheen Bagh protest area and the Aam Aadmi Party.
“Forty-eight hours before the polling, Amit Shah is using police to do such petty conspiracies,” Kejriwal told ANI in an interview. “The entire country knows they are doing a political stunt.”
The Aam Aadmi Party founder said the Bharatiya Janata Party was left with nothing to counter the work done by his government in Delhi. “All parties came together to beat Kejriwal,” he said. “Later, they started saying Kejriwal is terrorist, Ravana and a traitor. Nothing worked. So they started using the Delhi Police. Do we have the power to do such a thing [shooting]? Do we do such type of work?”
Kejriwal said that even the shooter’s family had denied links with his party. “Anyone can get their pictures clicked with someone,” he said. “I say he should get strict punishment. If he has the slightest link with AAP, then he should be given an even harsher punishment.”
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police claimed that the gunman who fired shots in Shaheen Bagh on February 1 was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo said photographs recovered from Kapil Gujjar’s phone established that the shooter had joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led party a year ago along with his father. The photographs, which were not independently verified, reportedly showed the shooter with AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh. Atishi is a candidate in the elections, while Singh is a member of the Rajya Sabha.
The Aam Aadmi Party has questioned the police’s investigation. “On whose instructions is the police issuing such statements?” asked Sanjay Singh.
Shaheen Bagh has emerged as the centre of nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, and the proposed National Register of Citizens. Hundreds of women have been protesting at Shaheen Bagh since December 15, against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The police’s claim came four days before the Delhi Assembly elections for all 70 seats in the national Capital. The results of the polls will be announced on February 11.
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