"No alliance in Delhi": Arvind Kejriwal ahead of Assembly polls

Arvind Kejriwal announces no alliance for Delhi Assembly elections, criticizes Amit Shah over attack, defends arrested MLA.

Ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections scheduled to be held in the early months of 2025, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (December 1, 2024) said that there will be no alliance in the national capital.

"There will be no alliance in Delhi (for Assembly elections)," Mr. Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference. Mr. Kejriwal, former Delhi Chief Minister, further attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the recent attack on him during his 'padyatra'. He said that a liquid was thrown at him which could have been harmful. "I had the expectation that Amit Shah would take some action after I raised the issue (of law and order). However, I was being attacked during my padyatra. Liquid was thrown at me, it was harmless, but it could have been harmful," Arvind Kejriwal said in a pres conference.

Speaking on the arrest of his MLA Naresh Balyan, the former Delhi CM further defended Mr. Balyan saying that he was arrested because he was the victim of gangsters who were demanding ransom from him. "Yesterday, one of our MLAs was arrested. That MLA was also a victim of gangsters. He had made a written complaint to Delhi Police that he was getting calls from Kapil Sangwan. He had complained to Dhaliwal Sahib.

The complaint said that on 23 May 2023, a call came from Nandu Gang after which he and his family were threatened," AAP National Convenor Kejriwal said. "For the last several days, I have been raising the issue of deteriorating law and order. The law and order situation has worsened in the last two to three years. I have been the CM of Delhi. Today people are in an atmosphere of terror. For many days I did not say anything, I thought the situation would improve. But today it seems that Delhi has been taken over by gangsters," Mr. Kejriwal added.

Earlier, Mr. Kejriwal criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah after being attacked by a bus marshal during his 'padyatra'. Mr. Kejriwal accused Mr. Shah of failing to address crime in Delhi, instead allegedly targeting him. In a post on X, Mr. Kejriwal wrote, "Amit Shah Ji, what will happen by stopping me? Stop crime in Delhi. Will crime in Delhi decrease by stopping me? Will open shootouts in Delhi stop? Will the women of Delhi become safe? Will the traders of Delhi be secure?" According to police, the AAP Chief was shaking hands with the public when a bus marshal, identified as Ashok Jha, attempted to throw "water" at him.

The police immediately apprehended the individual at the scene. The Delhi Police have detained the accused and are questioning him to determine the motive behind the act. AAP leader Satyendra Jain alleged that the incident was orchestrated by the BJP.