Gujarat AAP chief detained in Delhi, released hours later

Gujarat goes to the polls this December and the AAP is hoping to make its presence felt in the state where the electoral competition thus far has largely been between the BJP and the Congress.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Gujarat unit head Gopal Italia was detained by the Delhi Police on Thursday from the National Commission of Women’s (NCW’s) office at Jasola in south Delhi in connection with a protest that scores of party workers staged at the Commission where he was summoned over a controversial video in which he allegedly made“derogatory remarks” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, police said.

AAP Gujrat state convenor Gopal Italia was summoned by National Commission for Women over a controversial video in which he allegedly made“derogatory remarks” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

Italia was released after being detained at the Okhla police station for nearly three hours, they said, adding that he was questioned on the presence of AAP workers at the NCW office. NCW has filed a police complaint alleging that the AAP workers created a ruckus and tried to force their way into its office.

Police said Italia was removed from the NCW office around 2 pm. At 12.47 pm, NCW chief Rekha Sharma tweeted: “All the @AamAadmiParty hulligons are outside my office creating a ruckus. @CPDelhi @SouthwestDcp @PMOIndia.”

Half an hour later, Italia also tweeted and targeted the NCW chief. “@NCWIndia chief is threatening to put me in jail. What can the Modi government give to Patel community other than jail. BJP hates Patidar society. I am a descendant of Sardar Patel. Not afraid of your prisons. Put me in jail. She has also called the police. I am being threatened.”

Gujarat goes to the polls this December and the AAP is hoping to make its presence felt in the state where the electoral competition thus far has largely been between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP has ruled the state uninterrupted for 24 years.

Italia, a former state employee who emerged as one of the faces of the Patidar movement ahead of the 2017 election -- the state’s once dominant Patel community was seeking reservations in educational institutions and government jobs -- and joined AAP in 2020

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Esha Pandey said the AAP Gujarat chief was called in for questioning in connection with the protest at the NCW office .

A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said Italia’s questioning had nothing to do with the video.

“No first information report (FIR) has been registered in connection with the NCW complaint about the ruckus by AAP workers,” added the officer.

The BJP slammed AAP over the derogatory remarks made by Italia against Modi, saying that it is an “insult to the democratic process of India and the state.” Later in the evening, it relased another video where Italia is seen taking the name of PM Modi’s mother.

NCW chairperson Sharma said that Italia did not give any proper response to the questions regarding the videos.

The detention of Italia drew flak from the AAP and several senior party leaders, including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, took to social media to slam the BJP for it.

“Why is the entire BJP after Gopal Italia?,”Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

“With the arrest of Gopal Italia, there is massive anger in the Patel community across Gujarat,” he said in another tweet.

AAP leaders held back-to-back press conferences over Italia’s detention. “The BJP has arrested Gopal Italia because it is afraid. Why does the BJP hate the Patidar community so much? The Patidar community is watching the vengeful act of the BJP and they will teach the BJP a lesson in the Gujarat election,” said AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

The commission alleged that Italia misrepresented the facts. “Right from the beginning, Mr Italia lied to the Commission. Firstly, he was responding to NCW’s questions in Hindi and English but suddenly when he had no answers to the questions, he tried to evade them by refusing to speak in either language and insisted that he knew only Gujarati. Later, he was found to be interacting with the media in Hindi,” the commission said.

“Mr Italia was given enough time to reply to his abusive tweet but his oral and written statements were completely contradictory,” it added.

NCW also filed a police complaint against Italia and others for creating ruckus outside its office.