'IIT Classmates Went Abroad, I Stayed Back': Arvind Kejriwal Gets Emotional

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was "very hurt" when he was labelled a "terrorist" by BJP MP Parvesh Verma in a controversial remark at an election rally in Delhi last month.

"I was very hurt. I've never done anything for my family or my children, and dedicated myself in service of country. Eighty per cent of my batch-mates from IIT went abroad. I left the Income Tax Commissioner's job," Mr Kejriwal told news agency ANI.

BJP MP Parvesh Verma was the first to use the term for the Delhi Chief Minister on January 25, on the campaign trail. He had implied that if Mr Kejriwal returned to power, then "Shaheen Bagh-type" of people will take over the streets. Shaheen Bagh in south Delhi is among the most prominent sites of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA that critics say discriminates against Muslims.

#WATCH Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on BJP MP Parvesh Verma calling him terrorist: I was very hurt. I've never done anything for my family or my children, and dedicated myself in service of country. 80% of my batchmates from IIT went to foreign.I left Income Tax Commissioner's job. pic.twitter.com/rxkdsjvgcl

— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2020

"I leave it on people of Delhi, if you think I am a terrorist then press 'kamal (lotus)' button on February 8. And if you think I have worked for Delhi, the country and the people, then press 'jhaadu (broomstick)' button," Mr Kejriwal said.

In speeches ahead of the election to the Delhi assembly to be held on Saturday, BJP leaders in the national capital and the centre have been speaking in one voice against Mr Kejriwal and clubbing him with "terrorists" and "Shaheen Bagh-type people".

In an interview with NDTV on Tuesday, Mr Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the Delhi election in 2015 and is looking to repeat that feat, challenged the opposition BJP to prove their claims.

The election to the Delhi assembly is on Saturday; results will be out three days later.