Amit Shah asks Delhi CM: Do you support decision to catch Sharjeel?

"Kejriwal ji, do you support the decision to catch Sharjeel? Please tell the people of Delhi. Are you with those in Shaheen Bagh? You talk to me on Twitter every day, please answer this as well,” Shah said.

Amit Shah at a rally in Rithala on Monday. (Photo: ANI)

The war of words between Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal intensified Monday with the former, at a rally in Rithala, asking Kejriwal if he supported the Centre’s decision to slap sedition charges against Sharjeel Imam.

“For the past two days, a video of one Sharjeel Imam has been circulating where he is saying that the Northeast should be cut off from India, cut the ‘chicken neck’. He has spoken about breaking India into pieces. The Narendra Modi government told the Delhi Police and got a sedition case slapped on him. Kejriwal ji, do you support the decision to catch Sharjeel? Please tell the people of Delhi. Are you with those in Shaheen Bagh? You talk to me on Twitter every day, please answer this as well,” Shah said.

Within 15 minutes of Shah making the statement, Kejriwal tweeted: “Sharjeel spoke of cutting off Assam from the country. This is very grave. You are the country’s Home Minister. This remark of yours is dirty politics. It is your job to arrest him immediately. It’s been two days since he made the comment. Why are you not arresting him? What is your compulsion? Or do you want to play more dirty politics around this?”

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JNU student Sharjeel Imam

Aam Aadmi Party leaders have so far stayed away from the protest site at Shaheen Bagh as well as Jamia Millia Islamia. Only area MLA Amanatullah Khan has been visiting the areas regularly.

The party has also avoided getting drawn into debates around the anti-CAA protests across the country. Talking to a news channel recently, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, on being asked if AAP stood with Shaheen Bagh protesters, said they are with Shaheen Bagh just like they are with students of JNU, irrespective of the political spectrum they come from.

“I stand with Shaheen Bagh, I also stand with all students of JNU. They are all our children,” he had said, adding that he might not have a solution to end the Shaheen Bagh protest, but has a solution to improve the quality of education and water.

According to senior party leaders, the party has made a conscious attempt to raise issues of governance and not be drawn into the CAA debate. “We made our position on CAA clear. We are not in support of it. The CM has spoken about the inconvenience faced by people because of the Shaheen Bagh protest previously as well, but the solution is with the Centre. CAA was their idea, police are under their control. We refuse to be drawn into this,” said a senior AAP leader.

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But another leader added: “There are times that you have to respond, otherwise there is no way for people to know where you stand on a particular issue. We have been very clear about those making anti-India statements. Police should take action against them. But that cannot be the primary issue in an Assembly election.”

Amid India’s push to extradite Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, British officials visit Tihar jail to inspect conditions

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