Zee Media Bureau/Himanshu Kapoor
New Delhi: Angered by the detention of Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal by the police in Gujarat, AAP activists on Wednesday protested outside BJP headquarters in Delhi triggering violent clash.
Delhi Police resorted to using water canon to disperse the demonstrators as both party workers pelted stones at each other outside BJP headquarters here. Among the protesters was TV journalist-turned politician AAP leader Ashutosh.
Meanwhile, the clashes between the AAP and BJP workers spread to Lucknow and Gujarat. Kejriwal`s convoy came under attack by unidentified people at Kharohi near Bhuj in Gujarat after he was released by the police after a brief detention. According to reports, Kejriwal was not present in the car when the AAP convoy was attacked.
With Kejriwal`s four-day tour set to continue after the attack, the AAP convener appealed to his supporters to maintain peace and not engage in any violent activities. Kejriwal also questioned, "Why Narendra Modi is rattled with my tour of Gujarat?"
While BJP president condemned the violent protest by the AAP workers, BJP leader Nalin Kohli called the violence outside the party office as a terror attack and demanded an investigation into Ashutosh`s role.
Slamming the protesting AAP workers for protesting against Kejriwal`s detention, Kohli said that Kejriwal`s attempted drama in Gujarat was uncalled for after Model Code of Conduct has been issued.
AAP leader Shazi Ilmi questioned the need for detaining Kejriwal and said that their poll campaign in Gujarat was a pre-planned one with no flags and banners. Ilmi added that they came outside BJP office in Delhi to peacefully protest against the detention but the BJP workers clashed with AAP supporters and pelted stones.
Ashutosh said, "BJP`s prime ministerial candidate has been rattled by the Aam Aadmi Party, the whole world has seen the BJP workers pelting stones at us." He added that "BJP workers attacked me from inside their office, I have been injured. They even hurt our women workers."
Delhi Police has registered criminal case against the AAP workers for violence outside the BJP office here. "The details of defaulters are being collected, they will be treated according to law," Delhi Police said.
AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said that our supporters are in hospital as the BJP workers threw bricks and chairs at them when they were peacefully protesting.
Strongly condemning the protest by AAP supporters, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the Model Code of Conduct has been issued by the Election Commission, AAP should have taken permission to show up at BJP office.
"Did AAP workers have permission to come to BJP office? What happened to their non-violence policy?" questioned Prasad.
Kejriwal was detained by the police in north Gujarat just hours after he began a four-day tour of Gujarat to test Modi`s claims that the state was a model of development.
After being released from the accused Bharatiya Janata Party`s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of being "anti-farmer" and "anti-common man".
