Arvind Kejriwal's car attacked in Gujarat after violent AAP-BJP clash in Delhi, UP
New Delhi: AAP workers on Wednesday fought pitched battles with BJP activists outside the saffron party headquarters here hours after former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was detained briefly in Gujarat on Wednesday.
Scores of AAP workers stormed the BJP head office on Ashoka Road in the heart of the capital protesting against Kejriwal's detention in Radhanpur in North Gujarat where he has gone on a four-day visit to "inspect" development that has been claimed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The windshield of the car carrying AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was damaged when BJP workers attacked his convoy in retailation to the protests by AAP workers in front of BJP headquarters in Delhi. The BJP activists and those accompanying Kejriwal in the cavalcade in Kharohi village of Kutch district clashed this evening when the car windshield was broken. AAP claims that when Kejriwal's convoy reached Kharohi, some BJP workers showed black flags.
"Using the sticks to which black flags were tied they attacked Kejriwal's car when he had gone there to take a stock of problems people were facing due to a breach in Narmada canal in the area," AAP Gujarat convener Sukhdev Patel said. A scuffle broke out and afterwards AAP leaders left the village. Patel also alleged police had not been taking any action.
Read - Not an atom of development in Gujarat, says Arvind Kejriwal after detention
They shouted slogans against Modi saying he was "scared" by Kejriwal's visit and was using the police against him. Soon both sides were engaged in pelting of stones alleging that the other side started it.
Police which reached the spot sought to disperse the crowd by using water canons. Plastic chairs were also hurled from inside the BJP office on the crowds outside. The scene outside the BJP office looked a veritable battle scene with activists of both sides pelting stones and other missiles at each other. At least five people from either side were injured, police said.
An FIR will be filed in the case. Nalin Kohli, a BJP office bearer, accused AAP leader Ashutosh, a candidate in Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, of engineering the trouble and demanded his arrest. But AAP leaders hit back saying it was the BJP activists who provoked violence.
"We cannot change the path of our caravan. What was the need to detain Kejriwal? Modi is scared of Kejriwal. Rahul Gandhi is in Aurangabad but he wasn't stopped. This rally was fixed days in advance," AAP leader Shazia Ilmi, who was among the protesters, said.
"What was the need to fire water cannons and throw stones at us. I was myself standing here. We were only shouting slogans against Modi," she said. Ashutosh was also critical of the police action. He said,"We have been protesting peacefully. Congress and BJP are hand in gloves. All are scared of AAP."
As he embarked on his four-day tour to verify Modi's claims of providing water, power, education and healthcare to people of Gujarat, Kejriwal was taken to Radhanpur police station in north Gujarat and allowed to go after half an hour.
AAP's state convenor Sukhdev Patel claimed that Kejriwal was detained but police denied it saying they had only "briefed" Kejriwal on the model code of conduct which came into force today with the declaration of poll schedule.
