Delhi BJP files defamation case against CM Arvind Kejriwal, other AAP leaders

BJP's Delhi unit on Monday filed a criminal defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other members of AAP for allegedly blaming it for the deletion of names of lakhs of voters from the electoral roll in the national capital.

Apart from Kejriwal, AAP Member of Rajya Sabha Sushil Kumar Gupta, MLA Manoj Kumar and AAP spokesperson Atishi Malena have been named in the case. BJP leader Rajeev Babbar has filed the defamation suit in a Delhi court. The court has accepted the plea and will hear the matter on February 5.

Chief Minister Kejriwal had alleged that the names of 30 lakh voters had been deleted from the electoral rolls in Delhi.

"Not 40k. Total 30 lakh votes deleted. 4 lakh Baniyas, 8 lakh Muslims, 15 lakh Poorvanchalis and 3 lakh rest," Kejriwal had tweeted on December 6 last year.

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While contending that the matter of adding or removing voters from the electoral rolls is the Elections Commission's responsibility and not of any political party, the BJP stated that the allegations by the AAP are "unfortunate and false".

Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP unit has also approached the Election Commission demanding derecognition of the AAP party, accusing the party and its convener Arvind Kejriwal of dividing the society on the basis of caste lines and spreading misinformation.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said,  "We demanded that the Commission take stern action against the Convener (Kejriwal), leaders and office-bearers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The AAP should be derecognised and election symbol seized so that these people are stopped from endangering the unity and integrity of the country and vitiating the atmosphere of the society", as reported by a news agency.

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(With agency inputs)