BJP, AAP cross swords over political affiliation of Jahangirpuri clash ‘mastermind’

At a press conference here, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Md Ansar, one of the ‘masterminds’ of the April 16 clashes, was an “active BJP leader”.

The party also shared on social media some pictures in which Ansar is seen wearing a saffron cap and the BJP’s scarf, and seems to be attending some political events with other leaders of the BJP.

“With these pictures, the dirty and ugly face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stands exposed before the country. These pictures make it clear that the riots in Jahangirpuri had been engineered by the BJP,” Bharadwaj said.

Countering the allegations, the BJP said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)leaders were “lying” to divert attention from the role of its party worker in the violence.

“The main accused, Ansar, along with another leader had quit the BJP in January 2020 and joined the AAP before the assembly polls. The AAP leaders are covering up this fact since Ansar’s involvement in the April 16 incident has exposed their anti-Hindu face,” Delhi BJP media head Navin Kumar told PTI.

He also claimed that Ansar joined the AAP in the presence of senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in January 2020

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police promised strict action against the culprits of the incident, irrespective of their political affiliation.

“The investigation into the violence is being done based on evidence, irrespective of the accused’s affiliation to any party. An offender will remain an offender for us and we go by proof and evidences not allegations. If a person is found to be involved, legal action will be taken accordingly,” a police officer said when asked about alleged links of the accused with political parties.

Sharing purported pictures of the accused on Twitter, AAP’s Kalkaji MLA Atishi demanded an apology from the BJP for making the ‘false’ claim that the accused was a member of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

“The main accused in the Jahangirpuri riots, Ansar, is a BJP leader. He played a major role in getting BJP’s candidate Sangeeta Bajaj contest elections, and he plays an active role in the BJP,” she tweeted in Hindi.

“It is clear that the BJP is behind the riots. The party should apologise to Delhiites. BJP is a party of goons,” she added.

Responding to Atishi’s allegations, BJP’s Naveen Kumar claimed that Sangeeta Bajaj, whose name AAP leaders are citing, had also joined the AAP in January 2020.

Delhi BJP leaders had on Monday claimed links between Ansar and the AAP, saying police should probe why ‘masterminds’ of the incident were “found associated with a particular party”.

In a letter to AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor had asked him to expel Ansar from the party.

Earlier in the day, BJP MP from North West Delhi, Hans Raj Hans, in whose constituency the violence took place during a Hanuman Jayanti procession, said the clashes were an effort to “spoil the image” of the country and that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of British premier Boris Johnson’s visit to India this week.

Hans along with Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri met Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana regarding the investigation into the Jahangirpuri incident.

Clashes broke out between two communities during Hanuman Jayanti procession at Jahangirpuri on Saturday, leaving eight police personnel and a local resident injured.

According to police, there was stone pelting and arson during the clashes and some vehicles were also torched.