Malerkotla issue: BJP attacks Naresh Yadav, AAP alleges conspiracy

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi unit on Sunday said that AAP MLA Naresh Yadav’s alleged involvement in the desecration of the Quran in Malerkotla was

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi unit on Sunday said that AAP MLA Naresh Yadav’s alleged involvement in the desecration of the Quran in Malerkotla was not surprising and that other MLAs too have been involved in similar incidents in the past.

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“This is not the first time AAP leaders have been involved in such a case in Punjab. AAP leaders have hurt the image of Punjabis to get political mileage. They labelled Punjabi youths as drug addicts. This has resulted in youths losing many jobs in India and abroad,” said Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay.

AAP leaders and Yadav vehemently denied the charge.

A case of arson was recorded in Malerkotla on June 24 after pages of the Quran were found scattered near a drain leading to communal tension. The main accused were arrested and one of them told the police that he had torn the Quran on Yadav’s direction. Yadav has now been named in the FIR regarding the case.

The Aam Aadmi Party has denied the charges.

“We will meet Punjab DGP at 10am on July 4 in connection with the Malerkotla case. The people of Punjab understand the dirty politics of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance and will give them a befitting reply,” tweeted Singh, the AAP convener for Punjab.

The party leaders said the ruling alliance in Punjab was hatching conspiracies against them ahead of the 2017 assembly polls.

Singh also tweeted, “The Badals have cooked up a false case. If the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) worked at the behest of Naresh Yadav, then he ( Yadav) is working for (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (BJP chief) Amit Shah.”

Yadav also denied the charge and said he was ready to be “hanged” if there was any proof against him.

“It’s a conspiracy. Why would I do such a thing when we know we are winning the elections in Punjab? Everyone knows that the SAD-BJP (alliance) always indulges in communal politics. I’m ready to be hanged if any evidence is found against me,” he said.