Denies any mastermind behind attack
A day after the slapping incident, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday visited the autorickshaw driver who had slapped him at a roadshow in North-West Delhi. While the driver, lali, regretted his act and apologised, Kejriwal said he has ‘forgiven’ the attacker.
“I forgave him,” Kejriwal said after meeting the 38-year-old lali at his residence in Aman Vihar area of Outer Delhi. Touched by Kejriwal’s gesture, the autorickshaw driver described Kejriwal as ‘god’ and said he made a ‘big mistake’ by attacking the former Chief Minister.
“I have committed a mistake. He is a god for me. I did it because he left the Government after some days. Government is not just for the lokpal Bill. There are other important issues also. He had organised a janta darbar, I also went there but could not see him. I tried hard to meet him, my entire day was wasted. I thought I could never meet him again and then I got to know that the BJP may form Government. Then I thought that nothing could be done,” lali said.
lali added that Kejriwal repeatedly asked him if someone prompted him to attack the leader. “I swore on my kids that it was solely because of my frustration and anger. Nobody provoked me to do what I did. I helped him so much during the Delhi Assembly elections by carrying his posters on my auto for three months,” he said. lali was also booked on Wednesday for voluntarily causing hurt to the former Delhi Chief Minister. A case was registered against lali for slapping Kejriwal.
later, Kejriwal met Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi and asked him to track down the mastermind behind the recent attacks on him. Talking about his meeting with the Police Commissioner, Kejriwal said, “I asked the Police Commissioner what their probe into the attacks on me has revealed so far. He said they have recorded statements of the attackers. I told them not harass them and track the masterminds who incite such attacks for vested interests.”
Kejriwal said that the Police Commissioner would monitor the investigation into the attacks and give him an update within two to three days. Meanwhile, taking a dig at AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP on Wednesday said he was enacting ‘drama’ to hog media attention and some sympathy of voters and demanded a probe as to why he is only being targeted again and again.