Punjab Polls: PM Modi referenced Kumar Vishwas's allegeation against Arvind Kejriwal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took on Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party -- which is emerging as the big challenger to the ruling Congress in the state -- accusing It of having the same agenda as Pakistan -- "to break India... to join hands with separatists to get power". Without naming AAP or Kumar Vishwas, PM Modi referred to his comment -- that Mr Kejriwal wanted to be "Chief Minister of Punjab or Khalistan" -- and said they (AAP) are "willing to divide country for vote bank... My Punjab has suffered a lot".
AAP has rubbished the claims of, calling them "malicious, unfounded, fabricated and inflammatory".
"You must have heard his (Arvind Kejriwal) former close aide who was AAP's in-charge of Punjab elections last time and his close friend," PM Modi said.To make his meaning clearer, he added that this person "used to stand with a flag during the Anna Andolan. As a poet and thinker, the country's young generation waits for hours to attend his Kavi Sammelans across the country".
"Yesterday, the allegation he levelled is very dangerous. Every voter and citizen must consider the way in which his own aide described his character, very seriously."
"These people want to break Punjab," the Prime Minister added. "They are ready to join hands with separatists to get power. They are ready to break the country if required. Their agenda is not different from the agenda of the country's enemies and Pakistan. That's why they echo Pakistan's line on surgical strikes. That's why they want to increase the network of drugs in Punjab."
Yesterday, the BJP shared a video of Kumar Vishwas's allegations."This could be extremely dangerous, if AAP were to form Govt in Punjab," senior party leader and its IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted.
In the video, without naming Mr Kejriwal, Mr Vishwas is heard recounting a conversation with him. "One day, he told me he would either become CM (of Punjab) or first PM of an independent nation (Khalistan)… he wants power at any cost," he is heard saying.
Kumar Vishwas, once a prominent leader of AAP and a close aide of Mr Kejriwal, had quit the AAP and is staying away from politics.
Today, Mr Malviya shared the clip of the Prime Minister's speech, tweeting, "Prime Minister exposes Arvind Kejriwal and his sinister plans to push Punjab back to the dark times of separatism…"
AAP has rubbished the claims of Kumar Vishwas. Senior party leader Raghav Chadha tweeted a strongly-worded statement, captioning it: "Kumar Vishwas through the means of forged and fabricated video with the devious intent to defame and deride Sh Arvind Kejriwal has been circulating/ publising the said videos.
Calling the comments "malicious, unfounded, fabricated and inflammatory," Mr Chadha said it is "redolent of promoting hatred, ill will, feeling of hostility in society and in particular against the Aam Aadmi Party... as also intending to create a situation of unrest".