Poster war: Controversial BJP advertisement attacks Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘caste’, AAP demands apology
New Delhi: Another controversial BJP cartoon seems to have hit AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, creating a furore. AAP has accused BJP of playing the caste or ‘gotra’ card in an advertisement that shows Kejriwal threatening the Republic Day parade and asking for a VIP pass.
The ad uses the term ‘upadravi gotra’ (one who causes nuisance) to describe Kejriwal.
"BJP in the past few days has been giving few advertisements personally attacking me. They attacked me and my children, I kept quiet because Anna used to say that if someone personally attacks you, you should have the strength to bear it. But today they have crossed their limit," he told reporters.
"They have called the entire community 'updravi'. BJP's fight is with me, whatever they have to say they should say it against me, they should not attack the entire Aggarwal community. This is unacceptable and they should apologise from the entire community. We will complain to EC that BJP has stooped down to racial attacks. Delhi's people do not like this abusive politics," Kejriwal said.
The AAP chief also called a meeting of top party leaders at his residence to deliberate on the issue.
AAP leader Ashutosh came down heavily on the BJP, saying people will teach the saffron party a lesson in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
"BJP stooped another low. Now it has attacked Kejriwal's GOTRA in today's advertisement. People belonging to his GOTRA will teach BJP Lesson (sic)," he said on micro-blogging site on Twitter.
Kejriwal has often described himself as a "baniya" to reach out to traders' community, which have traditionally supported BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) last week also took a swipe at the BJP for its newspaper advertisement in which Anna Hazare's sketch was shown with a garland, asking the saffron party whether it had had "killed" the veteran anti-corruption crusader.
Nupur Sharma, BJP’s candidate from New Delhi, has also launched an attack on her rival, Kejriwal.
Sharma has launched a poster campaign using her party’s strategy of posing questions to Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency. The first poster of the six-part series, according to sources in the BJP, was launched on Sunday in the constituency. “Starting from Sunday for six days, a new poster and leaflet will be released in the New Delhi constituency, where Kejriwal is a candidate. Through the poster, we will try to make voters aware of the differences between Kejriwal’s words and action,” the source said.
In one poster, Sharma asked Kejriwal, “Would you apologise for wasting a year of people of Delhi?” In another poster Ms Sharma asked, “Have you ever felt ashamed of false promises you made to people?” Ms Sharma’s posters also appeal to voters beware of the “false promises” allegedly made by Kejriwal.
To corner Kejriwal in his Assembly seat, the BJP has deployed Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan to monitor and execute Sharma’s election campaign. A 25-member committee has been formed under Pradhan and Delhi BJP’s youth wing general secretary Suni Yadav to guide Sharma’s election strategy.
The BJP has fielded 30-year-old Nupur Sharma, one the youngest candidates, against former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat. Ms Sharma had headed the Delhi University Students’ Union in 2008-09.
