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Delhi Assembly Elections 2020: Shashi Tharoor attacks Delhi CM Kejriwal over CAA protests, JNU violence
Tharoor asked why Kejriwal despite being the CM could not pay a visit to these students or even speak on the issue openly.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday targeted Delhi chief minister and AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal, saying the city does not want a “helpless” CM who could not take a stand against the newly passed Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, even as students were beaten up for protesting against the new law.
Referring to the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in which many students suffered injuries as well as the police crackdown on students of Jamia Millia Islamia last month, Tharoor asked why Kejriwal despite being the CM could not pay a visit to these students or even speak on the issue openly.
“Kejriwal perhaps wants both pro and anti-CAA people on his side, which is why he could not take a strong stand on it. Why should anyone vote for him, if he could not even speak up over the issue?” Tharoor said at a press conference on Friday.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP attacked Kejriwal, saying the CM had been saying the Delhi Police is not under him, but “who stopped him from meeting students?”
Senior AAP leaders did not respond to Tharoor’s comments.
However, in one of his town halls last week, Kejriwal had said he did not visit protesters after the Jamia crackdown because of “law and order” issues. On the JNU violence, he said his government did everything that it could – from arranging ambulances promptly to holding an urgent meeting with Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal over the law and order situation.
On the CAA, Kejriwal had said, “If we cannot provide employment, food and shelter to all our citizens, how can we think of rehabilitating people who migrate from the three countries. I urge the government to take it [the law] back”.
Tharoor along with other Congress leaders launched the party’s campaign for getting feedback from citizens for the party’s manifesto for Delhi polls. The campaign was launched with the slogan “Dilli Ke Dil Ki Baat Congress Ke Saath” by party leaders, including Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra and others.
