Amid Ruckus Over Kejriwal's Pic with Icons, 'Delhi CM in Jail' Photo Now at AAP Office

Amid a war of words between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a behind-bars photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal placed between portraits of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar, the AAP on Friday organised a press conference at its party headquarters with a changed backdrop.

The new backdrop features behind-bars photos of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail along with the party symbol.

Bhagat Singh’s Great Grandson Reacts to Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Jail’ Photo

The freedom fighter’s great-grandson, Yadavendra Singh weighed in on the row over Arvind Kejriwal’s behind-bars photo placed between Bhagat Singh, and Ambedkar’s portraits and stressed that any leader should not be compared with him.

“…If we look at the politics of today, it is turning personal. Politics is being done for personal benefit…Any leader should not be compared with him (Bhagat Singh)…Bhagat Singh’s contribution was for the country and society. It wasn’t personal…If AAP has done this by mistake, they need to correct it and remove the photo (of Arvind Kejriwal) placed between Dr BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh…” he said.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has sent a request to all MLAs, asking them to discuss the problems of the state’s people and resolve them, said Sunita Kejriwal as she read out her husband’s message in a digital briefing. The backdrop drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the AAP of hurting people’s sentiments.

While the saffron party has alleged that Kejriwal was a “symbol of corruption” and demanded immediate removal of the photo, the AAP called the photo a mark of a “struggle against BJP’s dictatorship”.

“Kejriwal is a corruption accused and by putting up his photograph between those of patriots such as Shaheed-e-Azam (Bharat Singh) and Dr Ambedkar, the AAP has insulted their dignity,” alleged Virendra Sachdeva, the BJP’s Delhi unit chief.

Senior AAP leader Atishi, on the other hand, alleged that the BJP-led Centre has sent Kejriwal to jail under false charges.

“Kejriwal is the symbol of the current struggle against the BJP’s dictatorship. His photograph at our offices is to remind us that the struggle against the BJP is no less than the freedom movement,” she told reporters. “There was a time when people of the country fought against the British rulers. Now we are struggling against the ‘dictatorship’ of the BJP,” she said.

She also said, “The BJP has placed many objectionable hoardings across Delhi, at some places they have even used the photo of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We filed a complaint against this, six days back but surprisingly no action has been taken. It’s worrying as it raises questions over the level playing field for Lok Sabha elections.”

The BJP, on the other hand, said the AAP should be “ashamed” of itself for putting up Kejriwal’s photograph among the portraits of patriots. The AAP has been constantly degrading “political decorum” by allowing the jailed chief minister’s wife to sit and issue political messages from his “official room and chair”, Sachdeva said.

Since Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, Sunita Kejriwal has been attending digital briefings with large Tricolours and portraits of Singh and Ambedkar in the background, similar to the backdrop used during Kejriwal’s online briefings. Kejriwal is in judicial custody till April 15 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy.