BJP has always been anti-Purvanchal: Saurabh Bhardwaj

New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) Amid the ongoing war of words, Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj on Friday rebutted the BJP's allegations that former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had insulted "Purvanchalis" (people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) and instead, accused the BJP of long being "anti-Purvanchal".

Speaking to IANS, Bhardwaj criticised BJP President J.P. Nadda for previously referring to Purvanchalis as "Rohingyas, Bangladeshis, and infiltrators" in Parliament. He termed these remarks as "insulting" and highlighted that such statements had worsened relations with the people of the region.

“The BJP has always been anti-Purvanchal. Recently, JP Nadda called Purvanchalis 'Rohingyas' and 'infiltrators'. This is a direct insult. We all know how Purvanchalis were treated when BJP governments were in power in Maharashtra and Gujarat,” Bhardwaj said. “Just a few months ago, BJP leaders stopped Purvanchalis from celebrating Chhath Puja in Greater Kailash.”

The AAP leader also alleged that the BJP was attempting to manipulate electoral processes, claiming that the party had orchestrated the deletion of names from voter lists in Poorvanchal-majority areas, including Shahdara and Kejriwal’s constituency.

"We gave a list of 10,000 names in Shahdara, where the BJP is getting Poorvanchali voters removed. This is an attempt to hijack elections," Bhardwaj added.

Bhardwaj then turned his guns on BJP leader Giriraj Singh, who had previously called Arvind Kejriwal a "traitor."

"I don’t want to engage with people who speak in such a low-level manner. They need to improve themselves, learn some manners, and then we can talk," he said.

Responding to recent comments from BJP state President Virendra Sachdeva, who accused Kejriwal of attempting to create communal tension, and equated his leadership to that of a "mare" in a wedding, the AAP leader hit out at him.

“In the last 27 years, BJP has failed to find a leader capable of becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi. This is unfortunate for the BJP, and today, they don’t even have a clear agenda or roadmap for the future," Bhardwaj retorted.