BJP behind car attack in Narela on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal alleges AAP

The ruling AAP Friday alleged an attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official vehicle in Narela by BJP workers, a charge denied by the opposition party in Delhi. A blame game ensued with the BJP claiming its workers waved black flags at the chief minister for not expanding the metro line in rural pockets and "neglecting" development works in the area.

A group of about 100 men tried to stop Kejriwal's car and attacked it with sticks at Narela in outer Delhi where he had gone to inaugurate development works in 25 unauthorised colonies, said a government statement. "(The) Delhi government strongly condemns the BJP attack on the chief minister's vehicle at Narela. The attack took place in (the) presence of police on the route cleared by area's deputy commissioner of police. This is the fifth such attack on the chief minister in the last three years," said a Delhi government statement.

The AAP government alleged that the Delhi police "deliberately allowed" the attacks on Kejriwal under "political pressure" from the BJP government at the Centre. The police denied any attack on the chief minister's vehicle, saying a former BJP MLA along with his associates raised slogans, who were removed immediately from the spot.

"Former BJP MLA Neel Daman Khatri along with associates raised slogans. They were immediately removed from the spot and ACP Narela and his staff escorted the chief minister to the venue of the function. There was no incident of attack and no complaint has been received in this regard," said a senior Delhi police officer. The government in its statement called the incident "shocking" and wondered how could the chief minister be attacked on the route which was cleared by the deputy commissioner of police of the area.

The government further charged that the BJP workers were allowed to surround the chief minister’s vehicle, block it and bang window panes with sticks in the presence of the police. Khatri, who is BJP's district president of north west Delhi, alleged AAP volunteers accompanying Kejriwal had misbehaved with his associates and he himself had been shoved by them.

"We were only expressing resentment over metro network not expanding in rural Delhi and neglect of development works by the AAP government. Black flags were shown and slogans were raised but there was no attack on Kejriwal's vehicle. Instead, AAP volunteers misbehaved with me and I was shoved onto the ground by them, they also tore buttons of my jacket," Khatri alleged. However the AAP government persisted with its allegation, saying Friday’s incident was at least the fifth such attack on the chief minister in the last three years.

"The partial attitude of the Delhi police is clear from the fact that it has not filed chargesheet in any of these cases. The accused are booked under compoundable sections of criminal law just for public consumption and the cases are then forgotten," the government statement charged. The government categorically stated that "under political pressure and directions", the Delhi Police has "ignored" the chief minister’s security and the people of Delhi are watching all these "conspiracies".

(With inputs from agencies.)