Why is your party anti-women, BJP asks Kejriwal in its second list of 5 questions to AAP

BJP on Friday asked AAP five new questions, as part of the series of five questions BJP promised to ask AAP every day from 29 January to 5 February ahead of the Delhi polls.

Before asking the questions, BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said that some people from the media and AAP supporters had said that the first five questions which Rajiv Pratap Rudy had asked AAP at a press conference were old questions.

“It doesn’t matter that they’re old questions,” said Sitharaman. “The five questions asked to Kejriwal might be old, but they still need answers…The people of Delhi, before they vote, want to know the answers to these questions from AAP. They have not answered these questions till today.”

“It is not entertainment as we are coming with some kind of seriousness on the matter. We will continue to ask questions till they are answered. It is your (AAP’s) responsibility to answer these questions in politics,” she said.

Responding on AAP mocking BJP’s questions and telling the party to ask 50 questions instead of five, Sitharaman said, “For AAP, it’s a knee-jerk reaction to brazenly ask for 50 questions…Don’t show off, as if you’re not worried.”

On AAP asking BJP to organise a public debate between BJP’s CM candidate Kiran Bedi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Sitharaman said, “First, organise a debate with Shazia Ilmi…The DNA of AAP is not to have debates. The DNA of AAP is to scoot.”

Here is the second list of five questions which BJP asked AAP:

1. Why is AAP using ‘foreign’ volunteers?

Sitharaman said that AAP was using volunteers from places like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Dubai to ask people for votes for the Delhi polls. She said that even the AAP website showed that some of the volunteers were from abroad.

“For Delhi polls, it is natural to ask for votes. The way it (AAP) has outsourced its work through volunteers, it is seeking the help of people to contact Delhi voters who are linked to anti-national forces,” said Sitharaman.

“Why is AAP using volunteers from places other than Delhi? Didn’t you find volunteers to ask for votes in Delhi?” Sitharaman asked AAP.

2. Why did AAP not submit accounts to EC for 2014 Lok Sabha polls?

Saying that it is mandatory for a political party to submit its accounts during an election to the Election Commission, Sitharaman said that the AAP had not submitted its accounts to the EC during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. “The Election Commission itself has said that AAP did not submit accounts,” said Sitharaman.

“Being a party which keeps accusing other parties of being corrupt, why has AAP not submitted accounts to the Election Commission for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls till now?” she asked.

3. Why is AAP anti-women?

“It won’t be an exaggeration to say that AAP is anti-women,” said Sitharaman. “Madhu Bhaduri, Shazia Ilmi and Neena Sharma left AAP.”

“Why is there an exodus of women from your party?” she asked AAP. Sitharaman also slammed AAP for “obsessing” over Kiran Bedi. “Have some shame. Is this the way you deal with a prospective CM? Is this the way you deal with a career-based woman?” she said. She added that BJP would like to know AAP’s views on women.

4. Why doesn’t AAP respect constitutional bodies?

Sitharaman said that AAP only respected constitutional institutions when it was benefitial for them. She said that the Election Commission had given verdicts against the AAP thrice. “If you don’t like their verdict, appeal to the high court. But until the time the high court responds, the Election Commission’s order is valid. You are brazenly violating the order.”

“They (AAP) dilute, defame institutions they don’t like,” said Sitharaman. She also said that Kejriwal only respected the high court when he approached the institution for getting bail in a case.

5. Why is AAP not raising Lokayukta issue now?

Alleging that AAP’s intention was not to strengthen the Lokayukta, Sitharaman said, “How many times did they raise that issue after the 49 days in power in Delhi?”

She asked AAP why they were not raising the Lokayukta issue now when Arvind Kejriwal had raised the issue strongly earlier. “Arvind Kejriwal has cheated Anna Hazare several times,” she said.

She asked why AAP did not protest when Congress government in Uttarakhand diluted the Lokayukta Act.

(With inputs from PTI)