Delhi Assembly polls: Kejriwal and Sachdeva lock horns over Nadda remarks on Purvanchali community

After playing a purported video in which Nadda could be seen speaking, Kejriwal added, “We strongly condemn this act and regard it as a well-planned conspiracy against an entire community. On one hand, BJP leaders brand Purvanchalis as ‘Rohingyas’ and Bangladeshis; on the other, they attempt to strip them of their citizenship.”

The AAP went on to allege that the BJP was “implementing its sinister plan to uproot the Purvanchali community” from the Capital, while it was working “tirelessly to give this community dignity and respect”.

“We urge every member of the Purvanchali community not to trust BJP workers. Do not show your voter card or share any details with them… In the coming days, AAP will take this issue to every household in Delhi. We will show Nadda’s video to expose BJP’s deliberate conspiracy against the Purvanchali community,” he added.

In response, Sachdeva raked up a video from June 6, 2020, saying Kejriwal had “made an issue” out of the “pressure from Bihar residents on Delhi’s healthcare services” and imposed a ban on treatment for outsiders in Delhi’s hospitals which was revoked after “strong opposition from the BJP”. “Whether it is the Purvanchali community or any other, everyone knows that the corruption in Kejriwal’s Yamuna cleaning project is the reason why people from Purvanchal can’t perform their traditional Chhath Puja by the riverside in Delhi,” he alleged.

“Today Arvind Kejriwal is trying to show himself as a supporter of Purvanchalis… but they have not forgotten his statement of September 30, 2019, when he said, ‘Biharis come to Delhi with a 500-rupee ticket, get 5 lakh worth of free treatment, and leave’” he alleged.