BJP MP and former Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Saturday accused AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh of disrespecting the Purvanchal community and questioning their social identity. He alleged during a news conference that AAP’s show of respect for Purvanchalis is merely pretentious.The press conference, moderated by Media Chief Praveen Shankar Kapoor, highlighted Manoj Tiwari’s contributions to strengthening the identity of the Purvanchal community in Delhi.Kapoor emphasized that Tiwari played a key role in getting declared Chhath Puja as a public holiday in the city, thus giving due respect to the major festival of Purvanchal.

Tiwari challenged Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh to issue a clear response within 24 hours about whether votes of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators in Delhi should beremoved.

“We raised this issue in Parliament, advocating for detaining and deporting illegal infiltrators to their respective countries without subjecting them to violence,” Tiwari asserted.

He accused Kejriwal of insulting the Purvanchal community on several occasions, including in a 2019 statement in which Kejriwal allegedly claimed that Purvanchal residents travel to Delhi on Rs 500 tickets and avail free treatment worth Rs five lakh and go back.

Tiwari criticized Kejriwal’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, alleging that instead of providing food and protection to migrant workers in Delhi, the AAP government forced them onto buses to return to their states, endangering their lives.

He attributed numerous COVID-era deaths to Kejriwal’s negligence, citing how relief was finally provided only after intervention by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Uttar Pradesh government under Yogi Adityanath.

Tiwari also stated that Kejriwal’s government has worsened the living conditions of unauthorized colony residents over the past decade, 70% of whom belong to Purvanchal and Uttarakhand. Despite this, AAP failed to address their concerns, he claimed.

He alleged that during the construction of the Signature Bridge in East Delhi—completed under President’s Rule—Kejriwal sent party “goons” to threaten workers. At the time, neither Kejriwal nor Sanjay Singh showed any concern for the Purvanchal community.

Tiwari condemned AAP’s efforts to divide Delhi along caste and religious lines, emphasizing that the city’s status as the nation’s

capital requires unity and inclusive governance. Refuting Sanjay Singh’s remarks during his press conference about an MCD letter, Tiwari clarified that the letter did not mention Purvanchal residents. However, Singh’s repeated references to Purvanchal were aimed at promoting regionalism in Delhi, he said.

Tiwari concluded by urging Arvind Kejriwal to address issues such as poor water quality in Delhi, which he claimed has led to over 21,000 deaths in the past decade, instead of fostering regional and communal divides.