The Delhi BJP on Friday held a protest against the AAP for allegedly making "fake" claims about registration of voters from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the electoral rolls ahead of assembly polls.
Protesters holding placards saying "Purvanchal Virodhi Kejriwal" raised slogans against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal with several attempting to breach the barricades installed near his residence.
Slogans including "Purvanchal Virodhi Kejriwal murdabad", "Litti chokha khayenge, Kejriwal bhagayenge" were raised by the protesters.
The police had to use water cannons to disperse the crowd from further advancing. More than 20 protesters were detained for protesting without valid permission.
Kejriwal on Thursday accused the BJP of manipulating the electoral rolls by registering "fake" voters from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in his constituency, New Delhi, ahead of polls.
He lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission raising concerns over applications for the addition of 13,000 new voters between December 15 and January 8.
"Apparently many of these voters have been brought in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other neighbouring states to create fake voter registrations. This manipulation undermines the election process," said Kejriwal.
Kejriwal's faced an immediate backlash from BJP with party leaders condemning his comments.
"Arvind Kejriwal has always insulted the Purvanchali community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he made several objectionable statements, and now he has referred to them as 'fake voters'. We will not forget this insult, and neither will the people of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar. This betrayal will remain etched in the memory of Delhiites as well,” said BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal said that AAP has given Purvanchali voters a life of dignity.
While talking to the reporters, Kejriwal said that he had gone to the Election Commission to highlight that under the garb of Rohingya and Bangladeshis, they are deleting names of Purvanchali voters. “But, in turn, they are levelling baseless charges against me. If there is a party that has respected and given a life of dignity to people from Purvanchal in Delhi, it is the AAP,” he said.
Kejriwal accused the BJP of not doing enough for the Purvanchalis living in Delhi.
"People from Purvanchal who come here live in Kachhi Colonies. Before 2014, it was difficult to live in these colonies. There was no development. More than 90% of the people in these colonies are from Purvanchal. I want to ask the BJP what you have done for slums in the last 10 years?" asked Kejriwal.