NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of lowering the level of political discourse by calling Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a ‘terrorist’.The party’s statement came in response to Union Minister Prakash Javadekar saying “there’s not much difference between an anarchist and a terrorist”.Senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Pankaj Gupta demanded that an FIR be filed against BJP leaders using “foul language” against the CM and even approached the Election Commission in the matter. They claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi has leaders in his party, who have no respect even for Mahatma Gandhi.
“BJP leaders, through their public speeches and incendiary remarks, are blatantly flouting the model code of conduct. We request the Election Commission to not only ban such leaders from campaigning but also have an FIR filed against them. BJP leaders are resorting to such statements as they don’t have a progressive agenda and are scared of losing,” Singh said after meeting EC officials on Monday.
Seeking to turn the ‘terrorist’ jibe into a poll plank, Kejriwal said he had worked for the people as their brother and they should now decide if he is a terrorist. The BJP has sought to veer the campaign narrative to national issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). It has also accused Kejriwal of helping the Shaheen Bagh protesters.
BJP MP Parvesh Verma had earlier labelled the CM as a ‘terrorist’.
The AAP campaign, which was built around its accomplishments over the last five years and its sops for the people, seems to have been drowned out by the BJP’s shrill rhetoric, centered on the CAA and the ongoing Shaheen Bagh protests. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday labelled the protests as the handiwork of vested interests seeking to divide the country.
‘BJP scared of losing, has no agenda’
Senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Pankaj Gupta said the BJP is resorting to a vitriolic campaign as it has no other agenda to peddle for the Assembly polls. They claimed the party is scared of losing