Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has alleged recently that the attacks are motivated and part of a larger scripted conspiracy. Kejriwal said he apprehended an attack on his life but remained steadfast in his refusal to accept security detail.
The latest attack on Kejriwal took place on the last day of the election campaign in Delhi. Soon after, supporters and party leaders privately expressed concern about the Uttar Pradesh leg of the campaign fearing that Kejriwal may be vulnerable to more attacks. Kejriwal is expected to be in Varanasi from April 14 and will travel to Amethi for campaigning.Speaking to reporters, Kejriwal said his attackers are “victims” of the system, mostly unemployed youths who were acting at the behest of someone else. “I forgive all of them. They are also victims of the system. Reports have come from few places that they are unemployed youths who are being used,” he said. Kejriwal said though the attack was carried out by a few young men, after being caught they read out someone else’s script. “I don’t need any security. I have written to police several times, but still you see some policemen surrounding me. They are there despite my refusal,” he said. The AAP leader was slapped by an auto driver on last Tuesday at Sultanpuri during a road show to garner support for North-West Delhi candidate Rakhi Birla. Is it reflection of public anger at his party? Kejriwal said, “Those who attacked me in Delhi said they did so because I did not fulfil the promises made. But we did not make any promise in Varanasi, Gujarat and Haryana. So why were we attacked there?” The AAP leader called the attacks part of a larger conspiracy and questioned why were these acts being carried out only against his party. “Questions arise in my mind on who is the mastermind behind these attacks. Is it one person or there are many? What are they going to achieve from this? I am not able to understand this. This is a do-or-die situation. Why do these parties attack only us and not other parties. In future, we will also have more dangerous attacks and we have to be ready to face it,” he said.
