AAP, BJP row over law and order in Delhi

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday claimed that law and order in Delhi has deteriorated over the past year and a half, and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre for what he alleged was a “worsening situation”.
Kejriwal made the remarks at a press conference, where he also alleged that Delhi has become “the most unsafe capital in the world”.
The BJP hit back, saying Kejriwal was exaggerating incidents of crime to divert public attention from his government’s failures.
With just a few months left for the Delhi assembly elections, the AAP has been focusing on law and order to target the BJP.
Speaking at the press conference, Kejriwal released chart on which he listed 24 recent incidents of crime in the city.
“The kind of gang wars that Mumbai witnessed during the 1990s when the underworld reigned are being witnessed in Delhi now. The same gang wars and shoot outs are being witnessed in Delhi. People say Delhi is not only unsafe but it has become the most unsafe capital in the world,” he said.
The former Delhi chief minister said that 10 years ago, the Capital’s residents gave the AAP the responsibility to fix schools, electricity, hospitals, health services, and water supply.
“I fixed them all, and the work is progressing. But you [the people] gave the responsibility of providing security to the people of Delhi to the central government. Under the central government, the buck stops with Union home minister Amit Shah. He has completely failed in maintaining the law and order in Delhi,” he said.
“The BJP gave the slogan ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’. It was our responsibility to educate our daughters, and we have done that. But saving daughters was your [BJP’s] responsibility, and you did not save them. You’ve been unable to protect our daughters,” Kejriwal said.
In response, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said Kejriwal was exaggerating incidents of crime to divert attention from his government’s failures. “In the past year 34 deaths occurred in Delhi due to waterlogging, 16 occurred from electric shock, seven children died in a fire at an illegal hospital, 15 deaths took place at the Asha Kiran Home, and 180 homeless people died from the cold in January alone. These are the 252 deaths in Delhi this year, which the Kejriwal government could have prevented by acting responsibly. Kejriwal questions others, but the people of Delhi have many questions regarding the failure and corruption of his every scheme,” Sachdeva said.
“Kejriwal is trying to divert public attention from his government’s failures by exaggerating crime cases, but the people of Delhi know the truth, understand it, and will not fall for his false propaganda,” Sachdeva added.
Thursday was the second day in a row that Kejriwal raised the issue of law-and-order in Delhi. Earlier, on Wednesday, a tense standoff erupted between AAP and BJP workers during Kejriwal’s visit to a Nangloi shop which was the site of a shooting in September.
While Kejriwal had criticised the Centre for the “deteriorating” law and order situation, BJP workers waved black flags and accused the AAP of ignoring infrastructural issues in Nangloi, Kirari, and Mundka.