New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party is following a path that “is a manifestation of Maoist ideology”, Delhi BJP said on Tuesday even as it slammed the “AAP-Congress” alliance, saying that neither party was bothered about the hardships being faced by the people.
“The aim of AAP is to create a situation of anarchy, which is a manifestation of Maoist ideology,” Delhi BJP President Vijay Goel said here on Tuesday during a protest by the party at Parliament Street demanding the resignation of Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti.
Saying that Congress, which has given outside support to the AAP government in Delhi, was hand-in-glove with the latter party in order to serve its own political interests, Goel said, “A greater cause of worry is that Congress is supporting AAP. It also shows the true character of AAP and Congress.
“They can go to any extent to serve their own political interests. They are not bothered about the hardships faced by the people of Delhi due to the disruptive show of arrogance in central Delhi.”
Goel said it was deplorable that AAP was holding Delhi to ransom to protect a minister who misbehaved with women and has been indicted by court for professional misconduct as an advocate.
The reference was to Bharti, who allegedly had led a group of supporters who misbehaved with African women at Khirki Extension here after accusing them of being involved in a drug racket.
The BJP youth protesters had begun their march from the Delhi BJP office towards the site of Kejriwal’s dharna at Rail Bhavan, but were stopped by police and ITBP personnel at Parliament Street.
Demanding Bharti’s resignation and raising anti-AAP and anti-Arvind Kejriwal slogans, the demonstrators tried to break barricades and jostled with security personnel.
The BJP activists were detained along with Goel and taken to the Parliament Street police station from where they were later let off, police said.
Meanwhile, two BJP leaders on Tuesday filed petitions in the Delhi High Court seeking the cancellation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Law Minister Somnath Bharti’s election for exceeding the expenditure limit for last December’s assembly polls.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Vijender Gupta and Arti Mehra moved the high court alleging that Kejriwal and Bharti spent beyond the statutory limit of Rs 14 lakh.
They alleged the Aam Aadmi Party leader spent more than Rs 17 lakh in the elections held Dec 4, and requested the high court to declare their elections as “null and void”.
As per the Election Commission, every candidate can spend Rs 14 lakh on an assembly election, said Gupta, former chief of the Delhi BJP. Mehra is former city mayor.
He said both the leaders indulged in “corrupt practices” and incurred huge expenditure of nearly Rs 94.80 lakh during the campaign by organising a rock show “Jeet Ki Gunj, Vote for Change” Nov 23, 2013 at Jantar Mantar, after filing their nomination papers.
Many singers and Bollywood personalities performed at the event and all of them charged Rs 3-10 lakh, which was paid by Kejriwal, Gupta alleged.
Gupta said the expenditure was “highly underestimated by the respondent (Kejriwal) and the Aam Aadmi Party as Rs 14.72 lakh”.
Filing the petitions through advocate Ajay Digpaul, Gupta moved court against Kejriwal, his rival from the New Delhi constituency, while Mehra moved court against Bharti, who defeated her in Malviya Nagar constituency.
The plea said Kejriwal influenced voters by such a massive concert, thereby affecting the outcome of the election.
“The concert was advertised through newspapers, TV and radio to attract voters. Elaborate arrangements were put in place and the programme was attended by more than 20,000 people,” said the plea.
The BJP leaders accused Kejriwal and Bharti of having violated the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission, the provisions of the Representation of People Act and also the principles of the Constitution on free and fair elections. (Agencies)