Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 10: In a strong rebuttal to the BJP's recent allegations, Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj has fiercely defended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against accusations of insulting Purvanchalis (people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar). Bhardwaj, instead, has called out the BJP for its long-standing ‘anti-Purvanchal’ stance.
Speaking to IANS, Bhardwaj launched a scathing attack on BJP president JP Nadda, who had earlier referred to Purvanchalis as ‘Rohingyas’ and ‘infiltrators’ in Parliament. Bhardwaj deemed these remarks ‘insulting,’ asserting that they had severely damaged the party’s relationship with the people of the region.
“The BJP has always been anti-Purvanchal. Recently, JP Nadda’s derogatory remarks calling Purvanchalis ‘Rohingyas’ and ‘infiltrators’ were a direct insult. We’ve seen how Purvanchalis have been treated when BJP governments were in power in Maharashtra and Gujarat,” Bhardwaj remarked, also recalling the BJP's recent efforts to prevent Purvanchalis from celebrating Chhath Puja in Greater Kailash.
Bhardwaj further accused the BJP of manipulating voter rolls, claiming that the party had orchestrated the removal of Purvanchali names from the electoral lists in areas such as Shahdara and Kejriwal's own constituency. "We have flagged over 10,000 names in Shahdara where the BJP is targeting Purvanchali voters to alter the election outcome," he alleged.
Turning his attention to BJP leader Giriraj Singh’s remarks calling Kejriwal a "traitor," Bhardwaj stated, "I do not wish to engage with people who use such low-level language. They should first learn basic manners before we can have a proper discussion."
Finally, Bhardwaj responded to BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva’s comments that compared Kejriwal’s leadership to a "mare" in a wedding, dismissing them as futile. "For the past 27 years, the BJP has failed to produce a leader capable of becoming Delhi’s Chief Minister. It’s a sad reality for them. Today, the BJP lacks both a clear agenda and a vision for the future," Bhardwaj concluded.