'Jail whoever you want': Arvind Kejriwal to lead AAP protest outside BJP HQ today
New Delhi/IBNS: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will lead a protest by senior party leaders at the BJP headquarters in Delhi on Sunday afternoon, accusing the party of targeting and arresting AAP leaders one after the other.
In a video message Saturday, Kejriwal, out on bail in the Delhi liquor policy scam, said he would march to the BJP headquarters with all his senior leaders and challenged the saffron party to arrest them all at once if they wanted.
However, the AAP has not sought any permission for any march and will not be allowed to hold any protest outside the AAP premises, police said.
"One after the other, they have been putting our leaders in jail... I want to tell the Prime Minister: You are playing this game of arresting people one at a time. Tomorrow, I will go to the BJP headquarters at noon with all my senior leaders, MLAs, and MPs. Jail whoever you want, do it all at once," he said.
प्रधानमंत्री जी, ये एक-एक करके क्या आप हम लोगों को गिरफ़्तार कर रहे हैं? एक साथ सभी को गिरफ़्तार कर लीजिए - CM @ArvindKejriwal l LIVE https://t.co/0LIUQdK9PZ
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 18, 2024
He claimed that his party's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, and Delhi Ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi are the BJP's targets.
The AAP chief gave the protest call in a video message following his personal secretary Bibhav Kumar's arrest in the Swati Maliwal assault case.
Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha MP, has accused Kumar of assaulting her at the Chief Minister's residence, sparking a fierce blame game in the middle of the elections.
She has alleged that the official had kicked her in the chest, stomach, and pelvic area, and had brutally "dragged her and pulled her shirt up".
On Saturday, Kumar was arrested from the Chief Minister's house and was sent to five-day police custody.
The issue has triggered a political storm with the BJP and the AAP trading charges on how women have been treated by both parties.
The AAP Saturday said Maliwal was "blackmailed" by the BJP to become part of the "conspiracy" against the Chief Minister.
It also posted CCTV footage that showed the MP walking out of the Chief Minister's residence, escorted by security personnel.
The Delhi BJP has alleged that the AAP was circulating "edited" videos to tarnish Maliwal's image. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has said that now that Kumar has been arrested, many "dirty pages" of AAP's politics will become public