Gangsters running Delhi, says Kejriwal; BJP asks AAP to stop ‘harbouring Rohingyas and Bangladeshis’
The three-day assembly session, likely the last before the February 2025 elections, saw fiery exchanges between the AAP and the BJP over law and order in Delhi.
On the first day of the Delhi Assembly’s winter session, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, accusing it of failing to manage the Capital’s law and order situation.
Kejriwal alleged that Delhi had become a “gangster capital,” citing rising crime rates, extortion threats, and open gang violence as evidence of the Centre’s alleged “negligence”.
The three-day assembly session, likely the last before the February 2025 elections, saw fiery exchanges between the AAP and the BJP. Kejriwal’s emphasis on crime appears to signal a major campaign theme for his party in the upcoming elections.
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As Delhi is a union territory with legislature, the subjects of land, police and public order are controlled by the central government.
Senior Delhi BJP leaders, meanwhile, hit back at the AAP government and said that the rising crime rate in Delhi is a “direct consequence of the AAP government’s policy” of harbouring Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in the city.
“For the past 10 years, and especially since 2019, when Amit Shah became the Union home minister, Delhi’s law and order situation has deteriorated rapidly... If you step out with your mobile phone, someone will snatch it within 10 steps,” Kejriwal said. “People are receiving extortion calls. Gang wars and shoot-outs are happening openly — what we used to see in films has become Delhi’s reality,” he added.
In his 14-minute speech, Kejriwal specifically referenced the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, alleging it was running an extortion racket in Delhi despite Bishnoi being incarcerated in a Gujarat jail. “How is a jailed gangster wreaking havoc on Delhi while under the watch of the Union home ministry? Has Amit Shah abandoned Delhi to gangs?” he asked.
“This wave of crime is spreading across Delhi, and the central government seems oblivious… This man [Bishnoi] is running his operations not just in Delhi or India but across the globe — from Sabarmati Jail, no less. Does BJP’s protection allow him to function so fearlessly?” he said.
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In recent days, the AAP chief has continuously targeted the central government over the alleged “rise in crime” in Delhi in recent years.
Quoting NCRB data, Kejriwal said that kidnappings had increased by 40% in a year, while extortion and ransom demands were up by 55%. He emphasised that nearly a dozen criminal gangs were operating unchecked in the city.
“The central government’s indifference to this crime wave is alarming,” he said.
Kejriwal also highlighted the plight of Delhi’s business community, a crucial voter base, claiming that extortion threats were forcing many traders to shut shop.
“Those who report extortion calls face threats to their families or attacks on their businesses. This has caused a ripple effect—business closures leading to unemployment, which in turn drives youth toward crime,” he said. Earlier this week, Kejriwal met the family of a Nangloi trader whose shop was attacked, reinforcing his focus on crime affecting Delhi’s economy.
The BJP, meanwhile, countered by accusing the AAP government of fostering an environment conducive to crime, citing its alleged “harbouring” of illegal immigrants.
Vijender Gupta, the leader of Opposition in the assembly, accused the AAP government in Delhi of protecting “Rohingyas and criminals”, and alleged that the rising crime rates in Delhi are a direct consequence of the AAP government’s policies of “harbouring lakhs of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis”.
“The Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are involved in criminal activities and are contributing to the surge in crime in the Capital,” Gupta said in the assembly. He also alleged that AAP government was shielding those who assaulted Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the then CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence.
Gupta’s remarks triggered objections from AAP MLAs, who rose in protest, demanding that Gupta stick to the discussion on law and order. Amid the chaos, Gupta was marshalled out of the assembly. In response, BJP MLAs staged a walkout.
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel adjourned the proceedings until December 4, urging MLAs to be present for a group photograph ahead of the end of the assembly term.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva dismissed Kejriwal’s criticism as a diversion from his administration’s failures, citing controversies like the “Sheesh Mahal” bungalow row and liquor policy scandal.
“Kejriwal’s political image has been completely tarnished, and his government is now recognised for the Sheesh Mahal controversy, liquor scam, and administrative failure… If Arvind Kejriwal believes that listing crime statistics will divert attention from his failures, he is mistaken. Delhiites are holding him accountable not only for the 50 deaths caused by waterlogging and electric shocks but also for the 150 deaths caused by the cold in January,” said Sachdeva in a statement.
With elections looming, both parties are doubling down on their narratives.
The AAP aims to spotlight BJP’s control over law enforcement, while the BJP seeks to pin the blame for Delhi’s woes on the AAP’s decade-long governance. The showdown is set to intensify as the city inches closer to polls.