Delhi: Kejri dares Shah to debate
‘Shah should explain why he hasn’t taken any action on Shaheen Bagh’
Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday invited Union home minister Amit Shah for a public debate, and asked him to choose the time and venue, and hold the debate in front of the people to tell them why they should vote for the BJP on February 8.
Mr Kejriwal has also urged the BJP to announce its chief ministerial candidate and said he was ready for a debate with the saffron party’s CM face. “The people of Delhi have already voted (for) you (BJP) for Article 370 and Ram Mandir, but what have you done for Delhi? Why should the people vote for you? There should be a debate on an open platform,” he said at a press conference.
Commenting on the ongoing protests at Shaheen Bagh, he asked Mr Shah to stop using the protests for political gain. “The people of Delhi want to know why have you (Shah) not taken any action on Shaheen Bagh till now? Why is the home minister making Shaheen Bagh a political issue?” he asked.
To develop the country,
■ Continued from Page 1 infrastructure in schools, hospitals and roads are needed, not division on the basis of religion, the Delhi CM said.
Speaking about the shooter who fired at Shaheen Bagh on February 1, Mr Kejriwal said: “I don’t know which party he is from. He should be given the strongest punishment. There can be no compromise when it comes to national security. I would appeal to the Union home minister to not do politics over national security.”
“Whoever is responsible for jeopardising law and order should be given strict punishment,” he said. The police on Tuesday said Kapil Baisala, who opened fire at the Shaheen Bagh protest site last week, was a member of the AAP, sparking a war of words between the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and the BJP.
“I am not aware of his (Baisala’s) ties with any political party. If he is even remotely related to the AAP, he should be given double punishment. If he deserves 10 years in jail, he should be given a 20-year jail term. There should not be any compromise on national security,” Mr Kejriwal said.
“Just 48 hours before the Assembly polls, if you (Shah) are sending police officers for a press conference, it exposes your illintent. People are not fools, they understand your intentions,” he added. Mr Shah should send Baisala to jail irrespective of whether he belongs to the AAP, BJP, the Congress or any other party, the chief minister said.