AAP AND BJP UP THE ANTE ON SHAHEEN BAGH RHETORIC
Why Centre was unable to resolve the issue, CM questions; Union Home Minister hits back
NEW DELHI: The ruling AAP and the BJP launched a verbal spar on Monday as the ongoing ANTI-CAA/NRC protest at Shaheen Bagh finally found its way into the thick of the parties' political rhetoric during the campaign for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenged the Bjp-led Central government to engage with the Shaheen Bagh protesters and find a solution to the road blockage instead of holding Press conferences, which have no role to play in improving law and order in the city.
Kejriwal said that BJP leaders should go to the protest site and talk to them to end the deadlock and questioned why the Centre was unable to resolve this issue.
Kejriwal said, “I appeal to all the prominent leaders of BJP
to go to Shaheen Bagh and talk to people and clear the road. People are facing problems due to the closure of the road. Children and ambulances are having problems.” He said that the BJP will not clear the road till the elections and will only do that after February 8 and that
BJP politicises every issue.
Later in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah hit back at the CM in a Rithala rally, where he brought up the controversial comments made by Sharjeel Imam, a Jamia student. He said, "You must have watched the video of Sharjeel Imam, where
he talked about dividing the country by "cutting-off NorthEast from India" and infusing 30 per cent of a particular community in the state. Modi government told Delhi police and they have registered a sedition case against him. I want to ask Kejriwal whether he was in favour of this or not." Shah also dared AAP leaders to visit Shaheen Bagh and see whether Delhi stands with them or not.
Kejriwal responded to Shah's remarks in a tweet, asking why the Centre-controlled Delhi Police had not arrested Imam yet and accused the BJP of playing "dirty politics again". He said, "Sharjeel spoke of separating Assam from the country. It is very serious. You are the home minister of the country. This statement of yours is bad politics. Your duty is that you arrest him immediately. It has been two days since he said this. Why are you not arresting him? What is your helplessness? Or do you want to do more dirty politics now?"
Kejriwal also said that the BJP could learn from his party style of governance and added that the Centre was deliberately not acting to resolve the Shaheen Bagh issue.