New Delhi, November 30: Former Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was attacked with a liquid during a Padayatra in the Greater Kailash area on Saturday.
The incident occurred when Kejriwal, along with Sourav Bharadwaj, the AAP MLA for Greater Kailash and Delhi's Health Minister, was participating in a walk through the constituency. While walking amidst a crowd, a youth, identified as a bus marshal, threw a liquid substance at the Delhi CM. Security personnel quickly intervened, apprehended the attacker, and subdued him on the spot.
This attack comes at a time when political tensions between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are running high, particularly as Delhi's assembly elections loom. Kejriwal has been vocally criticizing the BJP over security concerns in the city, frequently targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the alleged breakdown in law and order.
The Padayatra was well-guarded, with security forces stationed along the route and a barricade separating the procession from the public. Despite this, the attacker managed to get close enough to target Kejriwal. Following the incident, AAP leaders pointed the finger at the BJP, accusing it of orchestrating the assault as part of a broader effort to intimidate the Delhi CM.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj condemned the attack, drawing comparisons to previous incidents where Kejriwal had been targeted. “BJP leaders campaign across the country without facing such attacks, but there have been repeated assaults on Arvind Kejriwal,” Bharadwaj said. He added that this pattern of aggression reflects the BJP’s deteriorating handling of law and order in Delhi, suggesting that the Union Home Minister was not taking adequate action to address the issue.
In a similar vein, Delhi Minister Atishi stated that the BJP’s actions stem from its fear of losing in the upcoming elections. “The people of Delhi will respond to this attack at the ballot box. After losing eight seats last time, the BJP will likely face a humiliating defeat this time, even being reduced to zero seats,” she remarked.
AAP also took to social media, issuing a strong condemnation of the attack. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the party called the assault “shameless” and accused the BJP of orchestrating it in retaliation for Kejriwal's criticism of the city’s law and order situation. “If a former Chief Minister is not safe in Delhi, how can the common man be?” the party’s official post questioned, further accusing the BJP of rule by "goons" rather than law.
The attack has only added fuel to the ongoing political fire between the AAP and BJP as both parties brace for the upcoming elections in Delhi.
