Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar
New Delhi: Hours before campaigning was to end in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party was once again in the news after an auto driver slapped Arvind Kejriwal during a roadshow in the city on Tuesday. The AAP leader then sat in silent prayer at Mahatma Gandhi`s samadhi Rajghat, where his supporters euqated the repeated attacks on him with the killing of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse.
The attacker was reportedly upset with Kejriwal for going back on promises and abandoning the Delhi government after 49 days in power.
Kejriwal was campaigning for party heavyweight Rakhi Birla in Sultanpuri in Northwest Delhi, when the attacker climbed up his jeep under the guise of wanting to garland him. The attacker did garland Kejriwal but then, suddenly, slapped him with full force.
Unconfirmed reports identified the attacker as an autorickshaw driver named Lalli, resident of Aman Vihar in Delhi. Ironically, autorickshaw drivers are said to be a key support base of the AAP and had campaigned extensively for the party in the Delhi polls.
The attacker was cornered by AAP supporters and thrashed before handing over to the police. While the party appears disinclined to press charges against him the police may go ahead and book him under the IPC.
Following the attack, Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders and workers went to Rajghat and sat on a silent prayer. Today is the last day of campaigning in Delhi ahead of voting on Thursday.
While Kejirwal left after sometime under heavy security cover. His supporters were present in large numbers at Rajghat. While some of them wanted a narco test be conducted on the auto driver, others said that repeated attacks on their leader was the handiwork of communal forces and opined that the attack was similar to the killing of Mahatma by Nathuram Godse.
Earlier, Kejriwal took to twitter to register his anguish on the repeated attacks on him.
He wrote, “I am just thinking - why am i being repeatedly attacked? Who r the masterminds? What do they want? What do they achieve?”
I am just thinking - why am i being repeatedly attacked? Who r the masterminds? What do they want? What do they achieve?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 8, 2014
Is violence an answer to country's problems? let them tell me place n time. I will come there. Let them beat me as much as they want......
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 8, 2014
.......but will that solve the problems?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 8, 2014
Sachai ki dagar badi kathin hai. Par last mein jeet to sachai ki hoti hai.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 8, 2014
Kejriwal had faced a similar attack while campaigning in south Delhi, last week.
Kejriwal has famously avoided security cover and claimed that he faces threat from none. However, he does enjoy a cordon of security by the Delhi Police. Reports now claim, quoting sources in the police, that Kejriwal routinely breaches the security cordon against their advice.
After the last incident in Dakshinpuri, Kejriwal had accused the opposition parties, especially the BJP of orchestrating attacks on him.
“A few people are ready to go to any extent to become Prime Minister. Let them do whatever they are doing. Our religion teaches us non-violence. If we raise our hands, this movement will come to an end,” he had said then.
The attacker was later identified as Abdul Wahid, a resident of Jamia Nagar in south Delhi.
“A few people are ready to go to any extent to become Prime Minister. Let them do whatever they are doing. Our religion teaches us non-violence. If we raise our hands, this movement will come to an end,” he had said then.
The attacker was later identified as Abdul Wahid, a resident of Jamia Nagar in south Delhi.
Wahid told the police that he was unhappy over Kejriwal’s silence on Muzaffarnagar riots.
However, opposition leader alleged that Arvind Kejriwal is planning these attacks himself to gain sympathy from voters who are upset with him for resigning as Delhi CM after just 49 days in power.
On March 28, he was attacked by a man, who claimed to be a supporter of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, during his election rally in Haryana.
He was also targeted in Gujarat, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
