Manoj Tiwari says concerned over Kejriwal's safety. 'Arrest him,' AAP hits back

In a statement issued by the AAP, the party said that Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has done “complete planning” in the matter, and added the “threat” gives clear message the party has “no faith in democracy”.

Delhi deputy chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Friday called for the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari in connection with a fresh row that has erupted between the two sides regarding chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sisodia has claimed that the BJP is “plotting to kill” Kejriwal owing to the “fear of defeat” in the forthcoming Gujarat assembly and Delhi MCD elections. His tweet came in response to a post on the micro-blogging site on Thursday by Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari wherein he stated that he is “worried about the safety” of Kejriwal.

AAP leader and Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.

At a press briefing held today, Sisodia said that the AAP will lodge a complaint about the matter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and also to Delhi Police. He demanded Tiwari's arrest and said that the police should question the BJP MP to know who has given the order for the alleged plot to assassinate Kejriwal, and who all are involved in the matter. The Delhi deputy CM also asked for Tiwari's phone records to be checked.

"We will report the matter to the Election Commission. We want Manoj Tiwari to be arrested. Arvind Kejriwal is a very popular leader. We will also approach police in the matter," Sisodia said at the briefing.

Sisodia claimed on Thursday that Tiwari is “openly asking his goons” to attack the AAP supremo and has finished planning for the alleged assassination. “AAP is not afraid of their petty politics, now the public will answer for their hooliganism,” the deputy CM tweeted in Hindi."

The row emerged after Tiwari tweeted that he is “worried” about Kejriwal's safety because “people and AAP volunteers are angry over sustained corruption, selling of tickets (for the MCD polls), friendship with rapist and massage in jail” as he also referred to the controversy over clips linked to Delhi minister Satyendar Jain.

“It should not happen with the chief minister of Delhi,” the Northeast Delhi MP's tweet, roughly translated from Hindi, read.

The AAP also took to Twitter to address the issue, citing the BJP's “fear of defeat in Gujarat” and also Delhi MCD as the reason for the alleged plot to kill Kejriwal. The party shared a nine-second video clip of Tiwari speaking with a reporter, in which he says that he wants to “save” Kejriwal lest someone attacks him.

“BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has done complete planning. They are saying that BJP goons can beat Kejriwal ji, damage his eyes, break his legs. Now the public will answer them,” the AAP tweeted.

The ruling party in Delhi also issued a statement on this matter, saying the BJP's “threat” gives clear message that the party has “no faith in democracy” and can go to “any extent for power”.

“No matter how many diversionary and divisive tactics the BJP uses, they will not be successful in taking forward this crooked agenda for long…The historic results that await the MCD and Gujarat will be the public's answer for the humiliation they had to face at the hands of the BJP. The public will take revenge for this disrespect through the EVM,” the statement read, according to news agency PTI.

The party also mentioned a past attack against Kejriwal, and accused the BJP for the same.

In March this year, protesters led by BJP MP from Bangalore South Tejasvi Surya vandalised property of Kejriwal's house along the Civil Lines area and clashed with police over the Delhi CM's remarks on the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. At the time also, Sisodia and the AAP had alleged that the BJP was wants to kill Kejriwal following its defeat in the Punjab assembly elections.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, meanwhile, hit back at Sisodia asking how “low” he will go. “Your people are calling you thieves. A case of suspected suicide has also come to the fore. Your MLAs are openly threatening the general public. And now this tweet. It seems your internal survey is telling you that AAP is losing not only in Gujarat and Himachal but also in Delhi,” his tweet in Hindi read.

According to a report by news agency PTI, Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena has directed the city police commissioner Sanjay Arora to take cognisance of Sisodia and his party's allegations to “ensure that such eventuality - orchestrated, or otherwise, does not happen, to the farthest possible extent”.