Kejriwal's ad on lynching sparks row, BJP demands rollback

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s latest radio spots in which he decries the communal violence in Dadri sparked a controversy on Wednesday with the opposition BJP questioning the use of Delhi tax payer’s money on ads related to an incident in Uttar Pradesh.  

Apart from the radio ads in which he criticises provocative youth from for the lynching, Kejriwal also tweeted: “Do watch this msg and share it widely. An appeal to maintain communal harmony.”

The Chief Minister blamed the dirty politics of a few venomous politicians for communal flare-ups and claimed only the common man can save the country by ignoring the inflammatory propaganda.

“Hindu-Muslims have been staying together in this village for the last 70 years. Even the children did not fight. But everything was destroyed within a night, trust of 70 years stood shattered,” he said in the radio spot.

The Delhi BJP demanded the withdrawal of the controversial radio spot in Kejriwal’s voice.
Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta of the BJP said the leaders of the Kejriwal government were looting the hard earned money of people of Delhi for their ambition to spread their wings to Uttar Pradesh’s political arena.

Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said Kejriwal was disturbing the atmosphere in the riot-hit area with his insensitive radio ad.

Upadhyay said: “There is no communal tension in Delhi and political propaganda on the issue of an unfortunate incident in Uttar Pradesh by the Chief Minister of Delhi is an effort of the Aam Aadmi Party to expand its base in UP. “

“There are 36 states and Union Territories in India but not a single Chief Minister has indulged in such propaganda but Kejriwal has started politics on this sensitive issue,” he said.

He questioned the timing of the radio spot and wondered if it had been released keeping Bihar polls in mind.