Setting the tone for the upcoming high-octane Delhi Assembly polls, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government during a Assembly session. He called the city a “gangster capital”, blaming the “deteriorating law and order situation”.

The first day of the session ended with AAP supremo slamming Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the increasing instances of extortion related firing at businessmen in the capital. Kejriwal expressed grave concern over the safety of Delhiites.

“What is Amit Shah doing? Shootouts are happening openly on a daily basis. It feels like Delhi is run by gangs,” he said while speaking during a discussion on the ‘rising crime rates and the law and order situation’.

Earlier, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel marshaled out Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta who launched an offensive against Kejriwal during the discussion. The remaining BJP MLAs followed Gupta and walked out of the House.

“Business people live in fear of extortion calls, followed by violent attacks on their shops or showrooms,” he said, while reading out the various instances of such firing happening across various areas of Delhi. Kejriwal also questioned the activities of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Delhi, who is allegedly operating extortion rackets in Delhi and beyond.

“Who is Lawrence Bishnoi and is he protected by the BJP? Otherwise, how is he running these extortion rackets?” he asked, demanding accountability from the central government. The AAP leader accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of neglecting his responsibilities and warned that Delhi residents are losing faith in the authorities.

“Amit Shah should wake up, otherwise, the people of Delhi will be left with no one to turn to for safety,” he added. He also highlighted that the various crime cases, including the murder of a young constable of Delhi Police, is happening few kilometers away from Shah’s residence.

He stated that while half of Delhi’s governance is under the Delhi government, the responsibility for safety and security lies with the central government. “This is the responsibility of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. But law and order in Delhi has completely deteriorated, especially after Amit Shah became the Union Home Minister in 2019,” the AAP chief added.

Kejriwal’s address on the first day of the last session of the five-year tenure of the Delhi Assembly on Friday comes amid heightened tensions following a low-intensity bomb blast in Rohini on Thursday.