AAP Claims 'Anti CAA Shaheen Bagh Protest Scripted For Electoral Gains In Delhi Polls'; BJP Responds

Thousands of people, including a large number of Muslim women, had staged a sit-in protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December last year against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (File Photo/ Getty)

A day after several members of the minority Muslim community joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday accused the saffron party of scripting the entire anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Shaheen Bagh 'with the motive of electoral benefits in Delhi polls'. AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj in a news conference today alleged that the Delhi elections could have been fought on the issue of education, health, environment or other developmental narratives but the saffron party purposely chose to fight the election on the issue of Shaheen Bagh. A PTI report quoted Bhardwaj saying as, "The whole Shaheen Bagh protest was scripted by the BJP. The topmost leadership of the BJP scripted each and every step of these protests. They decided who will speak what, who will attack whom and then who will be doing the counterattack. All these things were pre-planned and well-scripted." His claims came a day after several members of the minority Muslim community who were part of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Shaheen bagh in December last year, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Thousands of people, including a large number of Muslim women, had staged a sit-in protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area since mid-December last year against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The agitations that lasted for about three months after it was called off in March in the wake of Coronavirus fears and subsequent lockdown. Reacting to Bhardwaj's claims, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said does not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, creed or lineage. Taking to his Twitter post, Tiwari said in Hindi: Now the confusion is getting cleared and Muslim brothers and sisters want to walk with the BJP...Stop dividing Arvind Kejriwal ji. The world's largest party BJP represents all religions and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, creed or lineage.