Manoj Tiwari brushed off the AAP leader's allegation (File)
Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, today accused the BJP of conspiring to kill Arvind Kejriwal because it is afraid of losing to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the approaching Delhi civic polls and the Gujarat election.
Mr Sisodia also accused BJP MP Manoj Tiwari of a role in what he called "the conspiracy to assassinate" the Delhi Chief Minister and demanded his arrest.
Mr Tiwari had openly threatened Mr Kejriwal in a tweet, said the AAP leader.
"His language betrays the conspiracy being hatched to assassinate Arvind Kejriwal. We also demand that Manoj Tiwari be arrested for this threat," Mr Sisodia said. He also tweeted that Mr Tiwari is "openly asking his hooligans to attack Kejriwal and he has done complete planning".
Mr Sisodia cited the BJP leader's tweet yesterday expressing "concern" over Mr Kejriwal's security - a sarcastic reference to the attack on an AAP leader during a meeting to decide on civic poll candidates. A viral video from that meeting showed the AAP leader running from his own party workers, who were reportedly upset at not being chosen to contest the polls.
"I am concerned about the security of Arvind Kejriwal because people and AAP volunteers are angry over sustained corruption, selling of tickets for the municipal corporation (MCD) polls, friendship with rapist and massage in jail incidents. Their MLAs too have been thrashed. It should not happen with the Chief Minister of Delhi ...," Mr Tiwari had said in the tweet.
Mr Tiwari brushed off the AAP leader's allegation. "Sisodia is reading an old script of the BJP conspiring to kill Kejriwal. Kejriwal claims Sisodia will be arrested while Sisodia predicts Kejriwal's murder. I don't know what is going on," said the BJP MP.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has directed the police commissioner to take note of the allegations, reports said.