Kejriwal: Delhi turned into extortion capital under Shah’s watch

AAP national convener alleges traders increasingly receiving threats from gangsters; attempt to divert attention from AAP govt.’s corruption: BJP

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday targeted Union Minister Amit Shah over Delhi’s law-and-order situation, alleging that the city has turned into a “crime and extortion capital” under his watch.

Mr. Kejriwal — a former Delhi Chief Minister — made the remarks at the Nangloi Jat Assembly segment where he had gone to meet a trader outside whose shop firing was reported on September 28 this year.

“Daylight shootings and extortion cases have become common. We had never thought that Delhi would see such days. Unfortunately, Delhi has fallen into the hands of gangsters, with businessmen receiving extortion calls over their phones,” said Mr. Kejriwal attacking the Union Minister under whom Delhi Police comes.

He also called the police action in the shooting case a “mere eyewash”, claiming that no headway has been achieved in the case so far.

“The two men nabbed by the police are saying they had orders from higher-ups to carry out the shooting. Who’s the mastermind behind it? Who is orchestrating these incidents in Delhi? All of this is nothing but an eyewash. If we continue to act like this, we’ll only fool ourselves,” he added.

‘Accused arrested’

Meanwhile, Madhup Kumar Tewari, Special Commissioner (Law and Order), said the police had arrested the accused in the case within a day. “Delhi Police is capable of tackling such criminal activities,” he said.

Mr. Kejriwal also alleged that BJP workers tried to stop his vehicle while he was on his way to meet the trader’s family.

The BJP said he was shown black flags by local residents led by their North West Delhi Lok Sabha MP Yogender Chandoliya as the former Chief Minister showed concern over the shooting incident two months after it took place.

Mr. Chandoliya accused the former CM of attempting to divert people’s attention from the AAP government’s “failures and corruption”.

“It is a matter of concern if any family in Nangloi or elsewhere faces threats. However, when Kejriwal chooses to shed tears on November 27 for an incident that occurred in September, his ulterior motives become evident to the public,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Kejriwal hosted a group of sanitation workers for tea at his residence and urged people to invite them to their houses. “Only when we all come together, our dream of a clean and beautiful Delhi will be fulfilled,” he said.

Underlining the AAP government’s welfare plans, he said, “The first thing we did upon forming the government was to provide relief from inflation. We made electricity and water free for many households. They criticised me for this, saying Kejriwal wastes money and only thinks about the poor.”

Eye on women voters

Criticising the former Chief Minister, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said Mr. Kejriwal has lost his political connect with the Valmiki community and claimed that the safai karamcharis who met him were regularly associated with AAP activities.

Meanwhile, AAP sources said ahead of the Delhi Assembly election due in February next year, they are focusing on micro campaigns asking their volunteers to talk to groups of 15-20 women every day to highlight their government’s free water and electricity schemes. A party source said their campaign is being conducted on a seat-to-seat basis in contrast to the strategy they adopted ahead of the 2020 Assembly poll, when Mr. Kejriwal was the focus of their campaign.

Mr. Kejriwal had quit as Chief Minister in September after the Supreme Court granted him a conditional bail in a case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The court had barred him from visiting his office or sign official files unless it was necessary to seek nod from the L-G.

Published - November 28, 2024 01:10 am IST