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Journalism of Courage
A day after one of its candidates was announced as part of an NDA electoral front against the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, one of the BJP’s most prominent allies from Bihar issued a word of caution concerning the sentiments of the capital’s Purvanchali community.
Referring to BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla’s derogatory comments about AAP spokesperson Rituraj Jha during a televised debate on a news channel on Tuesday, Janata Dal (United) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad asked for the sentiments of the community to be kept in mind as well as action against Poonawalla.
“An NDA member has said something that has hurt the sentiments of Purvanchalis. We have maintained that all leaders must speak responsibly, taking care of the sensitivities involved. We have already asked the BJP to take action against the concerned leader,” Prasad told The Indian Express minutes after AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal connected Poonawalla’s statement to the “disdain with which the BJP views the Purvanchali community” in the city.
Soon afterwards, issuing an apology on X, Ponnawalla wrote, “I apologise wholeheartedly to my Purvanchali brothers and sisters for the hurt that my comments have caused them. I do not want to give any justification. I respect everyone from UP Bihar and apologise again.”
Poonawalla’s quick apology came as the AAP latched on to the comments and caused discomfort in BJP ranks too, raising fears of a blowback from the Purvanchali community in the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls. Purvanchalis form a crucial vote bank in the National Capital, comprising at least one-third of its electorate. While the BJP believes its vote share among the upper middle class, the trading, and Punjabi communities is intact and it also has support among a considerable section of the Purvanchali voters, it is now making concerted efforts to make gains among the lower middle class, Dalits and the poor. In such a scenario, an erosion in Purvanchali votes may have cost the party.
On Wednesday, a day after the televised debate, BJP’s North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari who is among the party’s Purvanchali faces quickly called on Poonawalla to apologise. “I condemn the statement made. No matter how much they are provoked, the BJP expects its spokespersons’ words to be well-thought and within the bounds of propriety. I am not only sure that the party will take cognisance of this but am also certain that Shehzad Poonawalla should tender an apology regarding this without any conditions,” said Tiwari.
Poonawalla and Jha had, during a heated debate on a news television channel, traded barbs by referring to each other’s surnames.
Jha, the AAP’s MLA from the Kirari, first won from the Purvanchali-majority seat in 2015 with a 61.7% vote share and then again in 2020 with a 49.8% vote share. Poonawalla, who was earlier with the Congress, is among the BJP’s most prominent spokespersons, a staunch critic of the Gandhi family, and belongs to the Pasmanda Muslim community.
“I belong to the Maithil Brahmin community of Purvanchal. The BJP spokesperson has not insulted me but the people of Purvanchal. The people of Purvanchal will definitely give a befitting reply to this in the coming elections,” Jha said in a post on X following the episode.
In response, Poonawalla wrote on X, “The AAP is a liar party. Rituraj Jha abused… at 7.22pm… Then repeated it at 7.34 pm… I am starting a fast unto death because of the lies spread against me by the AAP and for my character assassination until the AAP proves I abused anybody.”
The issue gave ammunition to Kejriwal to take on the BJP, accusing it of having continuously slighted the community in the capital both when it came to schemes related to their welfare as well as in ticket distribution. “What had the BJP done for the community in the last 10 years? … I can count 10 things that the AAP government did for them, they (the BJP) should name just one,” Kejriwal claimed, further accusing the BJP of having “left no stone unturned to disrespect Delhi’s Poorvanchali community”.
“I was unable to watch how one of the BJP’s big leaders abused Rituraj Jha on national television… This shows the disdain with which the party sees the community… This is also visible in the BJP’s ticket distribution; we have given tickets to 12 leaders from the community while the BJP has given tickets to just four or five,” he added.
The former Delhi CM’s comments came in the wake of the BJP announcing on Thursday candidates in 68 of the city’s 70 Assembly seats, leaving the remaining seats for allies JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) from Bihar, which is due to go the state Assembly polls later this year.
While the JD(U) will contest from Burari, the LJP(RV) will field its candidate from Deoli. Both Assembly segments have a sizeable Purvanchali presence. On his part, JD(U)’s Prasad sought to attack Kejriwal for “using the incident” to his political advantage.
“Arvind Kejriwal cannot use this incident as a balm on the wounds that he has inflicted on Purvanchalis. Go to the colonies where Purvanchalis live, the broken roads, the overflowing drains and defunct mohalla clinics are testimonies of the AAP’s attitude towards Purvanchalis,” he said. “This is the same person who accused Purvanchalis of being freeloaders and pushed them out of Delhi during Covid.”
