NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Atishi on Wednesday accused Kalkaji constituency candidate Ramesh Bhiduri of intimidating AAP workers to join BJP.
During a presser, Delhi CM said that the Ramesh Bidhuri‘s nephew and relatives are spreading hooliganism fearing defeat.
“In all the areas of the (Kalka Ji) constituency, a huge number of BJP workers and people claiming to be Ramesh Bidhuri’s nephews, are harassing the AAP workers… Ramesh Bidhuri called an AAP worker and asked her to rejoin BJP. When she said that she was in AAP and Atishi now, Bidhuri said that it was a party of terrorists and that Atishi would go to jail after February 8,” Atishi said.
“There are multiple such incidents… BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri, his workers and nephews are not contesting elections, they are spreading hooliganism. We are going to complain to the Election Commission that FIR should be registered with Ramesh Bhudhuri, his workers and nephews, and strict action be taken,” she added.
This comes a day after Atishi wrote a letter to election officials about the alleged intimidation and violence by relatives of Bidhuri.
“Fearing defeat in Kalkaji, Ramesh Bidhuri’s nephew and relatives resorted to hooliganism. Yesterday evening, BJP members intimidated, threatened and used force on AAP workers. Many women workers were also misbehaved with,” Atishi, who is also fighting from Kalkaji, posted on X.
Citing “an incident… in Gali no. 1, Govindpuri, Kalkaji, on Jan 20”, the letter stated, “AAP volunteers, including Rekha Bassi, Sanjay Gupta, Mani Mamta, Aradhna, Sunita Pandey, Sher Singh, Hari Shankar Gupta and others, were verbally and physically threatened by some BJP workers,” including Kunal Bhardwaj, Manish and Rishabh Bhiduri, the nephew of the BJP candidate. They threatened Sanjay Gupta and others, hurled abuses, grabbed him by the collar, and threatened with physical harm, she alleged. AAP workers captured a portion of the altercation on their mobile phone.
AAP convenor Kejriwal also alleged that the threats were given on “orders of Amit Shah.”
“With the protection and support of the police, BJP people are openly committing hooliganism and threatening the people of Delhi. All this is happening on the orders of Amit Shah. BJP lost badly in 2015 and 2020. This time too BJP is losing badly. So now Amit Shah is getting hooliganism done against the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal said on X.
Delhi will go to the polls on February 5, and the votes will be counted on February 8. The Kalkaji assembly seat will see a triangular contest between Atishi, BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri, and Congress’ Alka Lamba.
