In Kejriwal's spat with Malviya after Tahir Hussain's conviction in Delhi riots case, a jibe at Owaisi's AIMIM too

While critics have called AIMIM the ‘B-party’ of the BJP, Kejriwal recently accused the BJP of chanda chori (donation theft) amid the funds row at Ram Temple.

Arvind Kejriwal, national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), sparred with BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya over Tahir Hussain, the expelled AAP leader who has been convicted in Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma's murder case in 2020 Delhi riots.

Aam Aadmi Party National convenor Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference at party headquarters, in New Delhi. (ANI)

Malviya took to X on Monday sharing the news of Hussain's conviction as he called him a “close associate” of Kejriwal. However, Kejriwal distanced himself from Hussain and said the party had expelled him long back.

“Didn’t he join one of chanda chor party’s sister organization?” Kejriwal wrote in response to Malviya's X post. Comments below the post said Kejriwal was implying that Hussain had joined Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a party that has faced allegations of indirectly helping the BJP and RSS by splitting Muslim votes.

While critics have called AIMIM the ‘B-party’ of the BJP, Kejriwal recently accused the BJP of “chanda chori” (donation theft) amid the funds row at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Tahir Hussain contested the 2025 assembly elections on AIMIM ticket. “Their belief in me gave me strength, and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi sahab supported me. I will fight for you with all my strength. Help Mustafabad’s son win again,” Hussain said during the campaigning in 2025.

He has consistently claimed he was framed in the case.

AAP distances itself from Tahir Hussain

The AAP on Monday actively distanced itself from Hussain and said he had no association with the party since he was suspended from its primary membership in 2020 after he was booked in northeast Delhi riots case.

Meanwhile, the BJP also launched a fresh attack on Kejriwal and demanded an apology from him.

BJP attacks Congress, AAP

The saffron party also targeted the Congress, blaming its party leaders for the 2020 Delhi riots, and demanded an “unconditional apology” from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, alleging that they indulged in “vulture politics” and “appeasement politics” instead of standing by the family of the slain intelligence officer, PTI reported.

Targeting the Congress, BJP spokesman Gaurav Bhatia alleged, “After the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed by Parliament, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi created an atmosphere of confusion by claiming that Muslims would lose their citizenship with its implementation.”

Ankit Sharma murder case

A Delhi sessions court on Monday convicted Hussain and four others in IB staffer Ankit Sharma's murder case who was killed during the 2020 Delhi riots. His dead body was fished out from a drain near Hussain's house in Northeast Delhi where clashes over anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests spiralled into full blown communal riots that lasted for nearly four days. At least 50 were killed in the riots, one of the worst seen in national capital.

According to the prosecution, Sharma, a security assistant with the IB, lived with his parents in Khajuri Khas and had left home on the evening of February 25, 2020 to buy groceries, after which he went missing.

Sharma had reached the Chand Bagh Pulia (bridge) area, where clashes were underway between two groups. He was trying to pacify the two sides when he was identified and caught hold of by a mob of at least 20 to 25, who police claimed allegedly kidnapped him, assaulted and repeatedly stabbed him before dumping his body the next day in the Khajuri Khas drain.