New Delhi: Senior BJP leaders from various states, including former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, slammed the ruling AAP in Delhi on Tuesday and dubbed the February 8 Assembly polls in the national capital as a fight between 'nationalism' and 'anarchy'. Addressing poll meetings in the Kalkaji, Deoli and Badarpur constituencies, Fadnavis said Sharjeel Imam's arrest had proved that the Modi government was not going to spare those involved in "anti-national" activities.

"The entire Opposition is supporting the Shaheen Bagh protest in Delhi. If (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal had not supported the tukde tukde gang, there would have been no Shaheen Bagh," he said.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in favour of nationalism, the Opposition was supporting "anarchists", Fadnavis said. "The Delhi election is a fight between nationalists and anarchists and the people here have to decide who do they want in power," he said.

Campaigning for the party candidate from the New Delhi constituency, Sunil Yadav, BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav alleged that Kejriwal, his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress were standing with "anti-nationals".

"This election is a fight between nationalists and anti-nationals and Arvind Kejriwal, along with Congress leaders, is standing with anti-nationals," he said.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur also addressed poll meetings in Shakur Basti and Trinagar, and claimed that Delhi had taken steps backward, instead of moving ahead, under the AAP government.

Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi said people of other states played a crucial role in Delhi's development, but Kejriwal considered them as "infiltrators".

Addressing a poll meeting in support of the BJP candidate from Adarsh Nagar, Raj Kumar Bhatia, he asked the crowd, "Do people from Bihar need Kejriwal's permission to visit Delhi?"

Meanwhile, the Delhi chief minister said in a tweet that 250 senior leaders of the BJP, including 200 MPs and 11 chief ministers, were reaching the national capital to defeat Delhiites and their "son" Kejriwal.