AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal blamed PM Narendra Modi's supporters for the shoe attack. (File Photo)
Highlights
- Arvind Kejriwal was addressing his supporters against demonetisation.
- He later blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's supporters for the attack.
- He had earlier been the target of a shoe attack in April, 2016.
A shoe was thrown at Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal by a 26-year-old man as he was addressing a rally in Haryana's Rohtak.
According to news agency Indo-Asian News Service, the shoe hit the edge of the stage and fell short of Mr Kejriwal, who was addressing his supporters against demonetisation.
The alleged shoe thrower Vikas, a resident of Haryana's Dadri, was overpowered by AAP volunteers and eventually handed to the police. A senior official said that the man was unhappy over Mr Kejriwal's views on the Sutlej-Yamuna Canal issue which went against Haryana's interests.
"The youth did not seem to be in a sound mental condition," he added.
Following the attack, Mr Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's supporters for the incident.
The suspected show thrower has been taken into custody by the police.
"I said Modiji is a coward. Today, some of his supporters threw a shoe at me. Modiji, we can also do this but our values don't permit us to," the Delhi Chief Minister tweeted.
"I will keep on exposing the truth behind demonetisation and the Sahara Birla bribery despite the CBI raids or shoe attacks," he added.
This is not the first time that the Delhi Chief Minister has been the target of a shoe attack. On April 10, 2016, a 28-year-old man - identified as Ved Prakash, a member of a lesser known group known as Aam Aadmi Sena - had thrown a shoe at Mr Kejriwal as he was addressing a press conference. The shoe did not hit Mr Kejriwal.
The AAP has been also been one of the fiercest critics of the centre's demonetisation policy announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.
"Mr Modi has demanded 50 days to implement the exercise, but there's no sign of people recovering from its aftershocks," Mr Kejriwal had said on Friday.
The shoe hit the edge of the stage and Mr Kejriwal escaped unhurt.
He has also accused the centre of targeting Delhi government ministers and officials after the CBI registered seven FIRs against Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and two against Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
"You make your committee and get all our appointments probed. And we will form one, and you get the Sahara Birla matter probed with it. Agree?
"We are not scared of any probe as we have not done any wrong. Then why are you scared of a probe?" Mr Kejriwal had tweeted.
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)