BJP alleges 'misuse' of Punjab administration in Delhi polls; CM hits back

BJP candidate from the New Delhi seat in the upcoming Assembly polls in the capital, Parvesh Verma, accused his rival Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday of "misusing" the official machinery of the AAP-ruled Punjab in the constituency.

Reacting to the allegation, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Verma has "insulted" Punjabis and demanded an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

At a press conference here, Verma claimed that fearing an "imminent" defeat from the seat, Kejriwal is getting Chinese CCTV cameras installed in the constituency's slums just for the show with the help of the Punjab government.

He further claimed that the Chinese CCTV cameras, installed in a "hurried manner", pose a security threat.

"Punjab government's teachers and employees are being brought to Delhi for election campaigning. These individuals are masquerading as AAP workers," Verma said.

He claimed that two teachers hailing from Amritsar were arrested by the police here.

"Thousands of vehicles with Punjab registration plates are roaming around in New Delhi. Items like water dispensers, chairs and other materials are being transported to Delhi in trucks belonging to the Punjab government," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader claimed.

He urged the Election Commission (EC) to immediately curb the "misuse" of resources by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government Punjab in the Delhi election.

AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang lashed out at Delhi BJP leader Parvesh Verma for his remarks that "thousands of Punjab registration vehicles are roaming around" in the national capital, and said it reflects BJP's "mentality" towards Punjabis.

Strongly condemning the remarks, the Anandpur Sahib MP asked Verma to seek an apology for "insulting" the people of Punjab.

In a post in Hindi on X, Mann said Delhi is the country's capital and vehicles registered in various states ply in the city. He added that vehicles registered in any state can ply anywhere in the country and there is no restriction on it.

Citing Verma's statement, the Punjab chief minister said, "This is very dangerous, worrisome and insulting for Punjabis. He is identifying vehicles with Punjab registration numbers and questioning why vehicles from Punjab are plying in Delhi."  He added that from Verma's statement, it seems as if Punjabis are a "threat" to the country's security and sought an apology from Shah over it.

"Amit Shahji, you are neither able to keep the country's border safe nor Delhi. Thousands of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are coming to the country, don't you have a problem with them? But you are calling Punjabis coming from Punjab to Delhi a threat to the country. You should apologise to Punjabis," Mann said.

"Today, every Punjabi is feeling extremely pained and insulted. It is not right to question the patriotism of Punjabis this way for your dirty politics," he added.

Mann also shared a 17-second video clip of Verma's press conference on X.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 5 and the results are set to be declared on February 8.