Under severe attack from the BJP over the past six weeks on the issue of women’s safety in the national capital, the Congress raked up a 16-year-old allegation of molestation against BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Harshvardhan.
State cabinet minister Haroon Yusuf said that in 1997, allegations were levelled against Harshvardhan that he had ‘molested his house maid’. The issue was also raised in the state Assembly, but nothing came out of it.
The allegations were levelled by Yusuf in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, state ministers Rajkumar Chauhan and Arvinder Singh Lovely.
The attack of the Congress against Harshvardhan was by far the sharpest personal attack made against any political leader in the course of the poll campaign.
Chauhan went on to say that the BJP has no right to raise the issue of women’s safety when women are not safe in their leader’s house.
However, while attacking Harshvardhan, Congress leaders said that they had no intention to make personal attacks against any leader, but were forced to do so.
“The BJP must understand that the police department (in Delhi) does not come under the state government, it is with the Central Government,” Arvinder said.
However, when the media asked Harshvardhan about the allegations levelled by the Congress, he said, “I do not reply to any baseless allegations.”
BJP Woos Migrants
BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Harshvardhan on Tuesday announced that if voted to power, the BJP will set up migrants commission for the social, economic and cultural development of the migrants living in Delhi.
He said that out of two crore population of Delhi, more than one crore were from other states. “They have an important role in the social and economic development of Delhi. In the last 15 years, the Congress has treated them as a burden, not as an asset. Even the police administration considers them as headache,” he said.
“The BJP will constitute migrants commission to ensure basic amenities and respectable life for migrants. It will prepare a report for improving their standard of living and the BJP will provide the proper place they deserve in Delhi,” he said.