Accusing the BJP for creating caste divides and playing dirty politics, Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday filed a complaint with the Election Commission for targeting his sub-caste, which is Agarwal in an advertisement. The BJP in an advertisement mocking the former Chief Minister wrote that Kejriwal belonged to an “updravi gotra” (rebellious sub-caste). Reacting to this, senior leaders like Ashutosh, Yogendra Yadav, including Kejriwal, went on Twitter and expressed disapproval claiming that BJP had “crossed all limits”.
“BJP in the past few days has been giving a few advertisements personally attacking me. They attacked me and my children. I kept quiet because Anna (Hazare) used to say that if someone personally attacks you, you should have the strength to bear it. But today they have crossed their limit. They have called the entire community ‘updravi’. BJP’s fight is with me, whatever they have to say they should say it against me, they should not attack the entire Aggarwal community,” he said.
The advertisement shows Kejriwal disrupting the Republic Day parade as an attack on him for doing so last year while subsequently mocking him for wanting a VIP seat this time. However, the text written in Hindi on the advertisement read, “Millions celebrate Republic Day, take pride in it and your agitator gotra is ready to disrupt it.” First thing in the morning, Kejriwal tweeted that this was unacceptable and sought an apology from the party. “They should apologise to the entire community. We will complain to EC that BJP has stooped to racial attacks. Delhiites do not like such abusive politics,” he said.
In the morning, the party even held a meeting at Kejriwal’s Kaushambi residence to deliberate on the issue. All senior party leaders also expressed their anger towards BJP. AAP spokesperson Ashutosh said that the people of Delhi would teach the saffron party a lesson in the upcoming polls. “BJP stooped to another low. Now it has attacked Kejriwal’s gotra. People belonging to his gotra will teach BJP a lesson,” he tweeted. last week, too, AAP had targeted BJP for the first in this series of their advertisement where the saffron party had garlanded a sketch of Anna Hazare.