The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reacted angrily after an AAP legislator said the attack on Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, who was slapped by a man allegedly over a recent court order against stray dogs, was “a drama to create a story”.
Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana posted on X, tagging Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal: “Is this your party's official line? Your MLA is saying that no attack took place and the chief minister is creating drama, so why are you condemning the attack? It seems to me that there might be a conspiracy by [AAP] because you have a history of being involved in such acts.”
He was referring to comments by Anil Jha, AAP MLA from Kirari, who said he knew Rekha Gupta for 27 years as he, too, was with the BJP before.
“There's been no attack. She put that man there herself, to create this drama for a story. She's been doing this drama for years,” Jha reportedly said.
“I remember an incident when she was president of the student union and I was the vice-president, and we were holding a protest against foreign beauty products," he added, "She asked me to burn some of her hair strands to show she was injured while setting those products on fire. So this is not new for her.”
{{/usCountry}}“I remember an incident when she was president of the student union and I was the vice-president, and we were holding a protest against foreign beauty products," he added, "She asked me to burn some of her hair strands to show she was injured while setting those products on fire. So this is not new for her.”
{{/usCountry}}He called her and the BJP “naatak company, chor manager”.
There was no reaction to this yet from the AAP leadership.
However, AAP leaders Kejriwal and former CM Atishi have already condemned the attack on Gupta, who has since posted on X that she is now much better.
A man named Rajesh Bhaiji has been arrested for slapping the CM.
Police probe so far suggests he was angry at the Delhi government for not opposing the Supreme Court's recent order to remove all stray dogs.
But BJP's Khurana refused to believe what he called “the dog lover theory”.
AI enters political slugfest
Earlier in the day, Khurana also shared an image that he claimed was of the accused with AAP's Gujarat leader Gopal Italia; but that was later debunked by the AAP as AI-generated or edited.
Italia posted on X: “Harish Khurana ji, you may have no more respect than a troll, but before indulging in such cheap antics, didn’t you think about the honor of your father, Madanlal ji?” He was referring to Harish's late father and former CM Madan Lal Khurana.
Atishi spoke about this on a TV channel: “This image was trying to create a false connection of the man who attacked the CM. And even if this image was not fake — though it clearly is — my stand would have been the same, that violence has no place in politics, and that we condemn this attack.”
Kejriwal had tweeted soon after the news of the attack came in the morning: “In a democratic system, differences of opinion and opposition are acceptable, but there can be no place for violence. I am confident that the Delhi Police will take appropriate action. I hope the chief minister is completely safe and healthy.”