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As the contest for Delhi Assembly polls hots up, BP candidate from the New Delhi constituency Parvesh Verma accused Aam Aadmi Party chief and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of misusing official machinery from Punjab, apart from "Chinese CCTV cameras", in the capital.
"Thousands of vehicles with Punjab registration plates are roaming around in New Delhi. Items like water dispensers, chairs and other materials are being transported to Delhi in trucks belonging to the Punjab government," the BJP leader claimed. He also urged the Election Commission to curb the misuse of resources owned by the Punjab government in Delhi.
Verma claimed Kejriwal fears "imminent defeat" from New Delhi and is getting Chinese CCTV cameras installed in the constituency's slums just for the show with the help of the Punjab government. He further claimed that the Chinese CCTV cameras, installed in a "hurried manner", pose a security threat.
He further said Punjab government's teachers and employees are "masquerading as AAP workers" in Delhi, as the election campaigns continue in full swing. Verma also claimed that two teachers hailing from Amritsar were arrested by the police.
In response, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Verma has "insulted" Punjabis and demanded an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Mann said in a post on X that Delhi is the country's capital and vehicles registered in various states ply in the city. He added that vehicles registered in any state can ply anywhere in the country and there is no restriction on it.
Mann added that Verma's statement is "dangerous, worrisome and insulting for Punjabis", adding that his statement colludes to the assumption that Punjabis are a "threat" to the country's security and sought an apology from Union home minister Amit Shah over it.
"Amit Shahji, you are neither able to keep the country's border safe nor Delhi. Thousands of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are coming to the country, don't you have a problem with them? But you are calling Punjabis coming from Punjab to Delhi a threat to the country. You should apologise to Punjabis," Mann said.
Kejriwal, meanwhile, said the BJP should apologise to the Punjabi community. "Lakhs of Punjabi refugees live in Delhi, who left everything behind during the difficult times of partition and settled in Delhi. By what BJP leaders are saying today, they are insulting their martyrdom and sacrifice," he said in a social media post in Hindi.
The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 5 and the results are set to be declared on February 8.