Arvind Kejriwal alleged laxity in his security after a man managed to reach him and slap him
Highlights
- Arvind Kejriwal said this on Twitter in an exchange with BJP's Vijay Goel
- Mr Kejriwal earlier said his personal guards would kill him
- He expressed these concerns after repeated attacks on him
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, caught in a controversy over his claim that his personal security officers could kill him, on Monday claimed it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wanted him dead. Delhi being a Union Territory, the Delhi Police is under the control of the Union home ministry. For the just-concluded Lok Sabha election, Mr Kejriwal has made the demand for full statehood his key theme.
In a twitter exchange with senior BJP leader and Union Minister Vijay Goel on Monday, Mr Kejriwal, in a Hindi post, said, "Vijay ji, not my PSO but it is Modi ji who wants to get me killed".
The remark was a response to Mr Goel's Hindi tweet that said: "I'm sorry that by expressing suspicions about your own PSO, you have given a bad name to the Delhi Police. It would be better if you choose your PSO. Let me know if you need any help. Wish you a long life".
Over the weekend, Mr Kejriwal had told a Punjab-based television channel that like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he too, would be assassinated by his personal security officers.
The comment had triggered furore, and the Delhi BJP wrote to the police asking that Mr Kejriwal's security cover be withdrawn. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who sent the letter, also advised the Delhi Police to seek an apology from the Chief Minister.
Arvind Kejriwal alleged laxity in his security after a man managed to reach him and slap him during a roadshow earlier this month. While the police said the attacker was a disgruntled AAP supporter, Mr Kejriwal's party alleged that it was an "opposition sponsored attack".
Later, Mr Kejriwal said going by the frequency of the attacks on him -- made possible by successful security breaches -- indicated that it was a "BJP conspiracy".
The Chief Minister, who has been attacked with shoe, ink and chilli powder, has called it an attack on "Delhi's mandate". AAP had come to power in 2015 with a massive mandate, winning 67 of Delhi's 70 assembly seats. The remaining three were won by the BJP.
Since then, Mr Kejriwal has been at loggerheads with the Centre and has accused it of trying to interfere in his government. He also alleged that his ministers and party leaders have been regularly targeted.
Enumerating the attacks, the Chief Minister has said, "There have been raids on my office, house. There have been raids on Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain. Twenty MLAs were arrested. My relatives are being harassed. They (the BJP) tried to overthrow our government in unconstitutional ways".