NEW DELHI: With the election fever catching up in Delhi ahead of February 8 polls, the sit-in protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh in south Delhi is set to become a focal point of political discourse and campaign.
Blaming the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for fueling protests against the contentious Act, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said that ‘grand confusion’ is being created among Muslims which is leading to anarchy.
“Questions were being asked as to who all are behind the protests. After (Deputy CM) Manish Sisodia’s statement, they have been exposed. It has proven that anarchists stand with anarchists. They are self-proclaimed anarchists and whatever is happening in Shaheen Bagh is the peak of anarchism,” said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra at a press conference on Thursday.
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Patra’s response was to Sisodia’s comment on Thursday, where he said that he stands with the Shaheen Bagh.
Objecting to ‘Hum Dekhenge’, a famous Urdu poem by Faiz Ahmad Faiz being read out at protest sites, Patra accused demonstrators of calling for the removal of idols from temples.
“We will not let them succeed in their nefarious objective. Hum Bhi Dekhnege (We will also see),” he said.
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“Shahi Bhraham (grand confusion) is being spread which is purely for vote bank politics. Sisodia is saying that he is with the people of Shaheen Bagh. He is not with 15-20 lakh people living in adjoining Sarita Vihar, Jasola, and Madangir. Those residents have been suffering since the road is blocked,” said Patra.
Rajya Sabha MP and Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel, also present at the press conference, said that AAP leaders hadn’t visited the protest site even once but has been trying to exploit the situation in view of the polls.
“Shaheen Bagh has turned into ‘Shame Bagh’. Efforts are being made for vilification of India abroad,” he said.