BJP holds protest against Delhi govt over liquor policy

Several BJP leaders, including Delhi MPs Ramesh Bidhuri and Parvesh Verma, and party workers on Friday held a protest here against the AAP governments now-scrapped liquor policy.They raised slogans against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and demanded his resignation.There was heavy police deployment in the central part of the city.

Several BJP leaders, including Delhi MPs Ramesh Bidhuri and Parvesh Verma, and party workers on Friday held a protest here against the AAP government's now-scrapped liquor policy.

They raised slogans against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and demanded his resignation.

There was heavy police deployment in the central part of the city. The Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, where the Aam Aadmi Party office is located, was barricaded to restrict the movement of vehicles.

''Several workers of BJP have gathered near the AAP office demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi BJP will intensify this protest. The Assrmbly will start on March 17 and all MLAs of the BJP will demand the resignation of Kejriwal. The protest will continue till Kejriwal tenders his resignation,'' said Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.

A model of Tihar Jail -- showing two separate cells -- was placed at the protest side. In one cell, a person is seen wearing a face mask resembling former AAP minister Satyendar Jain and getting a foot massage. In the other cell, a person was seen sitting wearing a face mask resembling Manish Sisodia.

Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, MPs Ramesh Bidhuri and Parvesh Verma, state general secretary Kuljit Singh Chahal, and former state president Adesh Gupta were among those present at the protest. Sachdeva said the BJP workers fought for the resignation of Sisodia and today the result is in front of everyone. ''The chief minister is next because it is Kejriwal who is the kingpin and mastermind of this entire liquor scam,'' he claimed. Ramesh Bidhuri said, ''Kejriwal used to praise all his ministers and call them honest. But today, all of them are behind bars for corruption or forgery. Jitendra Tomar, Satyendra Jain or Manish Sisodia all three were honest for Kejriwal and the results are in front of everyone.'' Verma alleged that Kejriwal insulted Lord Ram by comparing Sisodia with the lord. ''Comparing his MLA and now minister Saurabh Bhardwaj with Bharata (Lord Ram's half-brother in Ramayana) is also not logical at all,'' he added. The protesters broke the first layer of barricading and moved towards the AAP's office where police installed a second layer of barricades. A drone was also deployed to keep a watch on the protest.

Police detained all the protesters around 1.30 pm and removed them from the spot.

In a press statement, the BJP claimed that during the demonstration, the party's Mandal Nagar president Vakil Quershi was seriously injured after a police barricade collapsed suddenly. Some other party workers also got injured, it said.

Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor or excise policy for 2021-22.