AAP alleges 'deep-rooted' conspiracy to kill Kejriwal, BJP terms it 'drama'
New Delhi, Oct 26: The AAP on Saturday alleged the BJP was conspiring to "kill" its convener Arvind Kejriwal and had become "an enemy of his life". The ruling party warned that the BJP would be responsible if anything happened to the former chief minister.
Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta dismissed the AAP's allegations, saying it was yet another "drama" by the AAP to defame the BJP ahead of the assembly polls.
The AAP had on Friday claimed that Kejriwal, a Z-plus protectee, was attacked by "BJP goons" during his 'padyatra' (foot march) in west Delhi's Vikaspuri, a charge trashed by the saffron party.
However, no video of the alleged attack was made available by the party. Police said they had not received any official complaint from the AAP.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged police were complicit in the incident.
"Police complicity in the incident clearly shows a deep-rooted conspiracy to kill Kejriwal. The BJP has become an enemy of his life," he said.
There was no immediate response from police to the Rajya Sabha MP's claim.
Singh said that despite Friday's incident, Kejriwal would carry on with the 'padyatra' as scheduled.
AAP leaders including Kejriwal are undertaking 'padyatras' in different assembly segments of the city in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls, likely to be held in February 2025.
Asked why the AAP had not filed a complaint regarding the alleged attack on Kejriwal, Singh said police could take cognisance of the incident and launch a probe.
It would not have happened if police were impartial. Police officers did not do anything to stop the "attackers" who belonged to the BJP's youth wing, he claimed, adding the AAP was seeking legal opinion on the matter.
He also accused BJP leaders of supporting the "attackers".
Singh said Kejriwal would "neither stop nor bow down" and continue to fight for the people of Delhi.
If anything happens to Kejriwal, then the BJP would be responsible for it. Even if Kejriwal suffers a scratch, Delhi's people would take revenge on the BJP, he said.
At another press conference, Delhi cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed one of the attackers was the vice president of the BJP's Delhi Yuva Morcha.
"BJP Yuva Morcha functionaries attacked Kejriwal. One of the attackers is the vice president of BJP Yuva Morcha of Delhi and the second is the general secretary," he said.
The two BJP leaders, who were dancing after attacking Kejriwal, had lost the councillor elections, claimed Bharadwaj.
BJP leader Gupta rubbished the AAP's claims.
"Despite blaming the BJP, no complaint has been filed by the AAP over the alleged attack on Kejriwal, which shows that the party is trying to play the victim card and gain sympathy by trying to defame the BJP before the assembly polls," he said.
The BJP leader said the AAP is worried about the "waning public support" and is attempting to confuse people through such tactics.
The area where Kejriwal was allegedly attacked is not an AAP stronghold and hence, the party "concocted" the story to gain sympathy, Gupta alleged.
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Every institution can be improved, but it doesn't mean it is fundamentally flawed: CJI
Mumbai (PTI): Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has said every institution can be improved, but it should not lead to a conclusion that there is something fundamentally wrong with it.
He was talking about the collegium system on Saturday during an interaction after delivering the inaugural lecture in a series organised by the Marathi daily `Loksatta' here.
To a question on the collegium system of appointment of Supreme Court and High Court judges, the CJI said it is a federal system where the responsibility has been given to different levels of governments (both the Centre and the states) and the judiciary.
"It is a process of consultative dialogue, where consensus emerges, but at times there is no consensus, but that's part of the system. We must have the maturity to understand that this represents the strength of our system," Chandrachud said.
"I wish, we will be able to foster a greater consensus, but the point of the matter is, this is dealt with a very great level of maturity on the parts of different levels within the judiciary and different levels within the governments," he added.
If there is an objection about a particular candidate, discussions take place with a "very great deal of maturity", the chief justice noted.
"We have to understand that it is very easy to criticise the institution that we have formed....every institution is capable of betterment. But the very fact that there are institutional improvements, which are possible, should not lead us to a conclusion that there is something fundamentally wrong with the institution," he said.
"The fact that these institutions have stood the test of time for over the last 75 years is a reason for us to trust our system of democratic governance of which judiciary is well a part," he added.
To another question, the chief justice said unlike in other fields, the work burden of a judge increases both in terms of volume and complexity as he or she rises in the judiciary.
"Our judges are not galivanting or goofing up even in the vacation, they are deeply committed to the work they do," he said.
The orders they pass will define the country in next decades, but judges hardly get time to think or read about law (aside from their work), the chief justice said.
"....do we give our judges sufficient time to think or read about the law or do you just want them to be merely a mechanical machine in the disposal of cases," he asked.
Despite its drawbacks, the emergence of social media is good for society, CJI Chandrachud said.
"The whole universe of judging, I believe, has undergone changes due to social media. Judges have to be very careful about what they say, use appropriate language," he said.
"I still feel that the advent of social media is good for society, as it enables the user to reach a huge section of society," he remarked.
