On whose orders Kejriwal is maintaining silence on JNU violence, questions Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday launched an attack on Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of staying silent on the issue of violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and questioned Delhi Chief Minister on whose orders he is not standing up for citizens' rights to protest?

"The police may have been acting (or not) on orders, but who ordered the Delhi CM not to stand up for citizens' rights to protest? Not to visit the injured? Not to object as campuses in his state became centres of carnage? Not all blame can be so easily deflected," Tharoor's tweet on Friday read.

Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram MP accused Kejriwal of fence-sitting.

"Kejriwalji wants that both the pro and anti CAA crowd stays with him. Why did you (Kejriwal) stay silent on the JNU issue? Once during the time of Sheila Dikshit you had tweeted that do we want a weak CM, you should go and read that same tweet today," Tharoor told reporters on Friday.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP further said that Congress stood alongside with actress Deepika Padukone because of her pro-students stance.

"BJP is boycotting Deepika Padukone's move because she stood with the students. That is why we are with her and distributing free tickets to the public for the movie," Tharoor said.

Deepika Padukone's film "Chhapaak", which is based on an acid attack survivor, released on January 10.

The actress was targeted by many BJP leaders for joining the protests at JNU on January 7 after a masked mob entered the varsity campus and attacked the students and teachers with sticks and rods two days earlier.