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AAP, BJP in war of words over Tajinder Bagga's arrest
Bagga was arrested by the Punjab Police on Friday morning in a case of promoting enmity and criminal intimidation registered against him on April 1 at Mohali.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the “unlawful arrest” of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by the Punjab Police even as the AAP maintained that due procedure was followed by the Punjab Police while arresting Bagga and accused the BJP of protecting a “hate-monger”.
Bagga was arrested by the Punjab Police on Friday morning in a case of promoting enmity and criminal intimidation registered against him on April 1 at Mohali. However, when he was being taken to Mohali, the Haryana Police stopped the Punjab Police team in Kurukshetra, and handed him over to the Delhi Police which brought him back to Capital.
The BJP accused the AAP of misusing the state machinery to threaten political opponents who dare to expose Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters, senior BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, BJP national spokespersons Nupur Sharma and RP Singh hit out at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for misusing power to settle political scores.
The AAP said Bagga’s arrest was not ‘vendetta politics’, and called the BJP a “party of goons”.
Sirsa said theAAP has hurt the religious sentiments of people. “He (Bagga) was not even allowed to wear the turban. Punjab’s CM is a Sikh; how is he tolerating this?... Today’s action clearly shows that the Punjab government is being run from Delhi,” Sirsa said.
Gupta added, “Arvind Kejriwal is misusing state machinery to threaten people who dare question or expose him. Punjab police is issuing notices to such people and taking action against them. Is asking questions from a CM a crime in democracy?”
AAP leader Atishi said Punjab Police summoned Tajinder Bagga five times following due procedure, but he refused to join the investigation. “Delhi and Haryana Police’s illegal action to prevent the arrest of Tajinder Bagga exposes BJP’s real face. Punjab Police has registered a case against Tajinder Bagga for inciting communal riots. BJP is using all its might to protect him because it is a party of goons,” she said.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the BJP was calling it vendetta politics since it is how they use state machinery to fulfil their goals. “It is now a day-to-day thing for opposition leaders to get NIA, ED and Income Tax summons and raids,” said Bharadwaj.
