On Voting Day, Atishi & Gambhir Speak on Pamphlet Row

While Atishi said it was common for BJP to use such language, Gambhir chose to wait for results day.

BJP and AAP’s East Delhi candidates Gautam Gambhir and Atishi.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

As the East Delhi constituency went to polls on Sunday, 12 May, the ‘pamphlet controversy’ is still looming large as AAP’s Atishi and BJP’s Gautam Gambhir – the two involved in the row – spoke to The Quint on the issue.

“This kind of discourse is commonplace with the BJP. On social media, this kind of language is used everyday by the BJP trolls. Their leaders have used this sort of language on camera. So, there is no need of any more proof from our end,” Atishi said.

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She also said that women’s safety is one of the major issues for Delhi in the Lok Sabha elections, adding that AAP is confident of winning all seven seats.

Gambhir, on the other hand, declined to escalate the matter any further. When asked by The Quint if the controversy would affect his support base, the cricketer-turned-politician said, “We will get to know on the 23rd (May).”

The Controversy

On 9 May, the AAP made public a pamphlet carrying derogatory remarks about Atishi. The pamphlet says that Atishi is a “good example of mixed breed,” was married to a “beef eater” and that she was “caught red-handed while having sex in a compromising position with another teacher.”

AAP alleged that Gambhir was behind the smear campaign and had distributed the offensive pamphlet, following which Gambhir sent a defamation notice to Atishi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

Meanwhile, Atishi has also filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) over the ‘derogatory and casteist’ pamphlet.