BJP slams Kejriwal as 'biggest culprit' after Tahir Hussain's conviction

BJP's Gaurav Bhatia called AAP's Arvind Kejriwal the 'biggest culprit' alongside Tahir Hussain after the latter's conviction for murdering IB officer Ankit Sharma in the 2020 Delhi riots, alleging Kejriwal provided 'political protection'.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, labeling him the "biggest culprit" alongside Tahir Hussain following the trial court's verdict convicting the former AAP counselor Tahir Hussain for the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots.

Addressing a press conference, Bhatia welcomed the trial court's verdict and alleged that Kejriwal provided "political protection" to Hussain and used him as a tool to instigate communal violence. "The main accused in this case was Tahir Hussain. At the time of this heinous crime, he was an elected councillor for the Aam Aadmi Party and a very close associate--the right hand--of Arvind Kejriwal. Today, Tahir Hussain has been convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 365 for kidnapping, and Section 153A for promoting enmity between different groups. This case has been proven, and he has been punished. Along with him, four others, Javed, Anas, Nazim, and Qasim, have also been punished... The biggest culprit alongside Tahir Hussain is Arvind Kejriwal, at whose behest this occurred and who engaged in a cover-up. He was the Chief Minister, but not a single word was said for Ankit Sharma or the Indian citizens killed in the Delhi riots. About 60 people were killed, and not once did he speak for them," Bhatia alleged.

'Deep-Seated Conspiracy to Kill Hindus'

Citing the court's observations, Bhatia pointed out that the murder was a result of a deep-seated conspiracy to target a specific community. "I am reading a line from the court's statement: 'He (Hussain) instigated the mob when Ankit came forward towards this mob.' When Ankit Sharma, performing his duty, came before the mob, Tahir Hussain was the goon who was Arvind Kejriwal's right hand in the Aam Aadmi Party. He gave inflammatory speeches and carried out this entire incident. The court further states, 'When the accused persons were acting in pursuance to a conspiracy and common object to kill Hindus, it covered the killing of Ankit as well for the reasons that Ankit was killed because he was a Hindu'," he said.

Bhatia Questions Kejriwal's Silence, Alleges Vote-Bank Politics

Bhatia further questioned Kejriwal's silence following the incident in 2020, accusing him of prioritising vote-bank politics over the life of a public servant. "They stand with the accused because they see the accused's religion as their vote bank. So, Arvind Kejriwal, why did you do this? Most importantly, why are Tahir Hussain's strings still tied to Arvind Kejriwal today? Amanatullah Khan's statement says that the punishment given by our country's court is unfortunate. Amanatullah Khan, this is unfortunate! Amanatullah Khan's statement today--is this not vote bank politics? This is the character, the DNA of the 'Paapi AAP'," Bhatia asserted.

Bhatia highlighted the brutality of the crime, noting that the post-mortem report recorded 51 stab wounds on Ankit Sharma's body. He questioned why Arvind Kejriwal gave "political protection" to Hussain and never spoke up for the victim's family.

BJP Links Riots to CAA, Accuses Congress Leadership

He also linked the AAP Convener to the "vulture culture" he attributed to the Congress leadership, alleging a coordinated effort to mislead the public over the CAA. He claimed that while leaders like Sonia Gandhi called for a "fight to the finish," Kejriwal provided the administrative and political shield for the ground-level execution of the violence. "The full judgment is not yet in the public domain and has not been studied, but based on the comments that have surfaced and the petty politics that AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party, a symbol of vulture culture, have practised, I will definitely place them before you after the court's comments... Remember, these Delhi riots occurred because a law was passed in Parliament, the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). Our Constitution says a bill is brought to the floor of Parliament and is either passed or rejected. It was passed. An atmosphere was created by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi that the citizenship of Muslims would be taken away. Today, with great responsibility, I ask Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Kharge: how many Indian Muslims lost their citizenship? The answer is zero, not a single one. Now, I remind you why Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the biggest culprits. While the conspiracy for these riots was being hatched, Sonia Gandhi stated that this was a 'fight to the finish' (do-or-die fight). Get out of your homes and fight to the finish. I want to ask, when no one's citizenship was being taken away and a law was passed in accordance with the Constitution, who was this 'fight to the finish' against? What was the reason?"

He also targeted Rahul Gandhi for his March 2020 visit to the riot-affected areas. "Rahul Gandhi went to a mosque to provide a 'healing touch' but did not meet Ankit Sharma's family. It was not a healing touch; it was a 'bleeding touch.' These leaders are vultures who play politics over corpses and stand with the accused because they see them as a vote bank," Bhatia alleged.

BJP Demands Apologies, Vows Action

Concluding the briefing, the BJP demanded an unconditional apology from Arvind Kejriwal, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi to the people of Delhi and the country. Bhatia also called for the immediate dismissal of leaders like Amanatullah Khan and Imran Masood for inciting communal sentiments. "No matter how high or well-connected a person is, they will have to face the might of the law. We will ensure that every culprit of the Delhi riots is brought to book and rots behind bars," Bhatia asserted. (ANI)

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