New Delhi: Against a backdrop of growing criticism against the party’s visible silence on the Delhi riots in February this year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Sunday said that the communal violence in the national capital was “engineered” by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The riots in Delhi were an outcome of a deep conspiracy by the BJP. The riots were engineered by the BJP. I am maintaining this from day one and reiterating today. I said this in parliament as well that the BJP organised the riots. And the police, which comes under the MHA, did not take any action,” Singh told reporters at a press conference.
Singh’s statements came amidst the ongoing tussle between the AAP-led Delhi government and the Centre’s representative in Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, over the appointment of public prosecutors in cases related to the communal riots. Baijal has been insisting that six public prosecutors recommended by the Delhi police will argue the riot-related cases.
Baijal’s pressure on the Delhi government assumes political significance as the Delhi police, which functions under the Union home ministry, has been facing allegations of conducting heavily biased probes against the minority community.
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The AAP government has mostly maintained conspicuous silence on the issue of communalisation of Delhi and has been refraining from holding any party responsible for the violence. Even as the riots unfolded in the National Capital over three days, AAP leaders, including the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, had remained guarded. They only appealed for peace but did not mobilise party cadre or elected representatives to actively mediate between communities. The riots eventually claimed 53 lives and resulted in damage of property worth hundreds of crores.
Interestingly, Singh’s press conference came on the heels of the party’s recent briefing to attack the Congress. Rajinder Nagar MLA Raghav Chadha lashed out at the grand old party over the Rajasthan political crisis, and alleged that it was selling its legislators. He did not mention the BJP, which has been accused of ‘buying’ MLAs. Alleging that the Congress was “on ventilator,” Chadha claimed that it had lost all relevance and credibility.
Among scores of AAP leaders, only Singh has consistently been critical of the BJP in Delhi and other states where the saffron party leads the government. He was also the sole AAP leader who visited the riot-torn neighbourhoods in northeast Delhi, immediately after the violence. Singh also organised outreach programmes among riot victims.
Not surprisingly, therefore, the AAP appointed him to do the damage-control amidst mounting criticism against the party for its silence on the issue of communalism. Singh, while departing from his party’s unclear position, attacked the BJP, and also questioned the fairness of Delhi police’s probe in the riot-related cases.
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“The police are not filing chargesheets in some cases, filing weak chargesheets in some, strong in some, writing extra things in some cases, hiding the truth in some,” Singh, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said.
He alleged that L-G’s insistence on appointing only those lawyers who have been recommended by the Delhi police indicates that the BJP wants only those professionals who can “suppress the dark deeds and shield the dark faces” behind the Delhi violence.
“Why is the BJP so desperate to engage them in the riots cases? What is it trying to achieve? Its only objective is to shield the dark faces, the dark deeds, the crimes committed by the BJP. This is why the BJP government and the L-G are so desperate to get those lawyers appointed. We have lodged our protest. We want unbiased investigation and a fair trial. You must have seen even the court has pulled up (the police) in the recent past,” Singh said.
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On his part, immediately after the deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia objected to the appointment of lawyers, Baijal dismissed Delhi government’s apprehensions. “It is beyond doubt that the PP (public prosecutor) represents the state by virtue of his office. At the same time, he is also an officer of the court and is required to render assistance to the court to arrive at a just and equitable decision… there is no reason to imagine that the PPs appointed wouldn’t perform their duty fearlessly and impartially as officers of the court,” the L-G said in a statement.
His office has also asserted that Baijal was the only competent authority to appoint Special Public Prosecutors, a norm upheld by the Delhi high court in 2016 and the Supreme Court in 2019.
“… in case of difference of opinion between the Lt. Governor and his Ministers, he is not bound by the said aid and advice and can invoke the proviso to Article 239AA (4) of the Constitution,” officials in the L-G House told The Indian Express.
However, AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, who was also present at the press conference led by Singh, refuted the claim. “Why do they want lawyers who would work as spokespersons of the BJP in court? The appointment of PPs in every criminal case is an exclusive right of the Delhi government,” he said.