AAP accuses BJP of Kejriwal's 'character assasination'
What's the story
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of carrying out a "derogatory and misleading" social media campaign against party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the party will file a complaint against the BJP with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Chadha said an AAP delegation will submit the complaint to the poll body, detailing Kejriwal's alleged "character assassination" by the BJP.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The AAP's allegations follow the ECI's show-cause notice to Kejriwal over his party's purported disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
The ECI said it received a complaint from the BJP last week.
The saffron party alleged the Kejriwal-led party shared posts portraying the prime minister in a "disparaging, insulting, and defamatory" manner with "scurrilous and malicious intent" linking him to industrialist Gautam Adani.
The ECI asked Kejriwal—the AAP's national convenor and star campaigner—to respond before Thursday.
Twitter Post
Watch: Raghav Chadha addresses press conference in Delhi
AAP National Secretary @pankajgupta and Rajya Sabha Member @raghav_chadha Addressing an Important Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/24i1Uu5EW4
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 15, 2023
Details
Chadha accuses BJP of character assassination
Chadha claimed the Delhi BJP's X social media account shared a video slandering Kejriwal on November 5.
The clip was shared by the BJP handles in election-bound states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, he alleged.
This, Chadha asserted, was a blatant violation of the ECI's model code of conduct.
He alleged the BJP thrived on "character assassination."
Chadha claimed the BJP's video also violated Indian Penal Code Sections 171G, 499, and 500 and the Representation of the People Act.
Sanjay Singh
AAP leader claims BJP's conspiracy against Kejriwal
Last week, imprisoned AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed that a "big conspiracy to trap" Kejriwal was being concocted by the ruling BJP at the Centre.
A video shared online by the AAP showed Singh cautioning that "not just arrest, something big is going to be done to Kejriwal."
Notably, Kejriwal had been summoned twice by central agencies in a corruption case over an alleged scam concerning the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
Elections
Defamation complaints could have serious implications
The war of words between the AAP and the BJP comes as lakhs of voters gear up to vote in assembly elections in different states this month.
Assembly elections are underway in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Mizoram, and Rajasthan.
With the model code of conduct imposed in all the aforementioned states, these allegations and subsequent complaints to the ECI could have serious consequences for both parties.