New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) A bitter political confrontation ensued in Delhi on Wednesday over BJP leader Parvesh Verma distributing Rs 1,100 among women of the New Delhi assembly constituency, with AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal calling him a “traitor” and Chief Minister Atishi demanding his arrest.
Kejriwal, who has held the seat since 2013 and is the AAP’s candidate from the constituency for the upcoming Assembly polls, also claimed that Verma is the BJP’s chief ministerial face in the elections and asked Delhiites if they wanted such a CM.
A defiant Verma, however, asserted that he has launched a scheme to help women with the financial assistance of Rs 1,100 through the ‘Rashtriya Swabhiman’, an organisation founded by his father.
In a dig at the AAP chief, the BJP leader said he was only helping people and “not distributing liquor like him”.
The BJP’s IT department in-charge Amit Malviya also hit out at Kejriwal in a post on X, charging that the “liquor scam accused” was offering “gyan” over who would be the chief minister.
Kejriwal is an accused in an excise policy-related money laundering case and was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March this year. He was released from jail in September after being granted bail by the Supreme Court.
The former Delhi chief minister lashed out at Verma in over a dozen posts on X.
“They are giving Rs 1,100 to each voter every day and asking them to vote for their party. Are you helping the needy or openly buying votes? Your father must be ashamed of a traitor son like you,” Kejriwal assailed the BJP leader in one of the posts in Hindi.
In another post, he said, “According to sources, the BJP is going to declare Parvesh Verma as its CM face. Would the people of Delhi want such a person to be their CM?” The AAP supremo claimed that he visited many areas in New Delhi where people told him about being offered Rs 1,100 and also asked women of Delhi to visit Verma’s house and demand the money from him.
At a press conference here, Atishi alleged that Rs 1,100 each was being given to women from slum clusters at former BJP MP Parvesh Verma’s Windsor Place residence and their voter ID details were being noted down.
Denying the charges, Verma said the money was distributed as part of a scheme by ‘Rashtriya Swabhiman’.
“I ask the Delhi Police, CBI, ED to conduct raids at the bungalow where crores of rupees are kept,” Atishi said, adding that AAP will make formal complaints to the police and the Election Commission and demanded Verma’s arrest.
Verma had earlier claimed that he was asked by senior BJP leaders to start preparations for contesting from the New Delhi assembly segment.
In a statement, he said the ‘Rashtriya Swabhiman’ was behind the scheme to provide monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,100 to women from poor sections of society.
“I am seeing the pain of women which Arvind Kejriwal could not see for 11 years. They were hassled… I decided that we would give them Rs 1,100 per month. At least I am not distributing liquor like Arvind Kejriwal. I am happy that I am helping people,” Verma said.
The former West Delhi MP said the Rashtriya Swabhiman has been involved in helping people and has redeveloped two villages devastated by an earthquake in Gujarat and four villages in Odisha destroyed in a cyclone.
The organisation also spent crores of rupees in saving the lives of people during the Covid pandemic, providing oxygen concentrators and opening a care centre in West Delhi, he added.
Verma said Kejriwal and Atishi could make all the noise they want, but he would continue to help women and none of them would return empty-handed from his residence.
He said that payments of Rs 1,100 per month would continue till assembly polls are announced in Delhi.
The election for the 70-member Delhi Assembly is due to be held in February next year. PTI VIT IJT
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