"Will Seek Lord Hanuman's Blessings For Him": AAP's Jibe At A Owaisi

Taking a jibe at Asaduddin Owaisi for his criticism of the Delhi government's decision to organise 'Sundar Kand' recital programmes in the city, the AAP on Tuesday said they will seek blessings of Lord Hanuman for the AIMIM president.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, councillors and other party leaders along with local people attended the 'Sundar Kand' programmes in all the 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj participated in the 'Sundar Kand' recital programme in Chirag Dilli.

When asked about Mr Owaisi's remarks on the sidelines of the programme, Mr Bharadwaj said, "I feel that we need not reply to Owaisi. We will seek blessings for him from Lord Hanuman and God should bless him too." 

The senior AAP leader also said they want that Lord Hanuman's blessings should be there on Delhi and on the opposition leaders.

Meanwhile, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said that his party does not need to take a certificate from any other leader.

"I stay away from such things. I would just like to say that Arvind Kejriwal is a huge devotee of Lord Ram," Mr Chadha told a press conference when asked about Mr Owaisi's remarks.

"Whenever he starts something new, he seeks the blessings of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. Just like Shravan Kumar, he sent thousands of elderly people for pilgrimage. I don't feel the need to comment on other leaders' remarks. I don't feel we need to take a certificate from any other leader," he added.

Mr Owaisi had earlier alleged the AAP is now following the agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"What's the difference between you (AAP) and BJP then? You are now following the agenda of the BJP and RSS. They are saying that they would organise 'Sundar Kand Paths' and recite 'Hanuman Chalisa' in Delhi. There is no difference between them and the BJP, and they are now following their ideology," the Hyderabad MP told reporters.

Escalating his attack, the AIMIM chief sought to know how the AAP would defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"It is their (AAP) hypocrisy," Mr Owaisi alleged, adding those who have that secular outlook, including "Hindu brothers, Dalits, OBCs and especially Muslims should take note of it".

Claiming that a fight was on to garner the votes of the majority community, the AIMIM chief described it as "competitive Hindutva".

"If such politics of competitive Hindutva goes on, how can the ideology of the BJP-RSS be stopped?" Mr Owaisi asked.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)