The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday, 16 April, called for the boycott of the Bharatiya Jana Party (BJP), condemning its felicitation of eight Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) members who had allegedly participated in the violence and vandalism of property outside the Delhi chief minister’s residence on 30 March.
Senior AAP leaders and spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj held separate, back-to-back press conferences to take a jab at the BJP’s politics and appealed to the people to opt for an "honest government."
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a press conference on Saturday that by felicitating the BJYM workers, the BJP had exposed itself as a party of "goons and vandals."
He added that the party was sending a message that crime would be rewarded and criminals would be honoured like heroes.
'Choose Honest and Educated AAP': Sisodia
He cited the names of the BJP leaders who were facing criminal charges, including rape and murder, and urged people to vote for the "educated, honest, patriot" AAP.
Sisodia said, "Boycott such a party. What kind of country do you want – a country where goons and loafers get protection from the central government or do you want an honest government?”
Meanwhile, recently-elected Rajya Sabha member, Raghav Chadha, also called for the boycott of the saffron party and said in a press conference that the common man must decide whether they wanted to see a country of progress and development or side with the BJP's politics of hooliganism.
The party’s spokesperson Bharadwaj said that the BJP aimed to create an atmosphere of violence and riots. He accused the BJP of protecting "rapists, goons, and hooligans." He said,
"There is also a reason for increasing unemployment in the country, that BJP needs such an army of lakhs of unemployed, who riots, hooliganism in the country, makes it difficult for sisters and daughters to leave their homes."
BJP Will Never Build Good Schools': Kejriwal
AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also joined party members in slamming the BJP on Saturday. He claimed that the BJP would never build good schools in the country as the party needed "illiterate people, unemployed people, goons, and vandals" for their politics.
He tweeted in Hindi, "If someone commits hooliganism in America, he goes to jail. In India, he goes to that party. If someone molests a girl in Europe, he goes to jail, in India, he goes to his party. They will never make good schools. They need lakhs of illiterate goons, vandals, and unemployed for their politics."
He urged citizens to boycott the party and said,
"AAP is a party of honest patriots and educated people who support 'you'. We have to prepare our children and youth for competition with western countries by giving them good education and good employment."
The statements come a day after AAP's Kalkaji MLA Atishi called the BJP a party of "hooligans and rapists" in a scathing attack.
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