AAP accuses BJP of disrupting its campaign; demands EC action

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of disrupting the poll campaign of its top leaders including Arvind Kejriwal and demanded the Election Commission to take action against the party. "The AAP strongly condemns the attempts by the BJP workers to disrupt the movement of its leaders, including national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, at Varanasi on Thursday night," the party said in a statement.

AAP leaders were gheraoed by a huge group of protesters in Varanasi on Thursday night. Police had to use mild force to disperse the crowd before whisking away Kejriwal. Even on Friday, protesters gathered at various places visited by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders and shouted slogans. Meanwhile, BJP has distanced itself from Thursday night's incident saying that the protesters must be locals who might be opposed to Kejriwal.

The AAP, however, continued to insist that the protesters were BJP workers and said that this was not for the first time that the saffron party has tried to create hurdles in Kejriwal's campaign.

"BJP workers tried to block the movement of Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh at a busy chowk in the town. They not only indulged in illegal activities in full public view, but also made obscene gestures and used abusive language," the AAP said.

"Such an attempt by the BJP workers, in a constituency from where this party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is contesting elections, is a clear sign of the saffron party deliberately trying to vitiate the election atmosphere.

"The AAP will not be cowed down by such unacceptable behaviour of the BJP, and demands that the Election Commission should ensure that no party should be allowed to create trouble during the elections," it added.