Gambhir sends notice to Kejriwal, Sisodia, Atishi demanding 'unconditional apology'
New Delhi: BJP's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir sent a notice to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Atishi on Thursday demanding their apology after being accused of being involved in distribution of "obscene and derogatory" pamphlets against his AAP rival.
In the notice, the trio was asked to withdraw their allegations against the cricketer-turned-politician and tender an unconditional apology.
Earlier in the day, Gambhir had said he would withdraw from the Lok Sabha contest if the charge was proved against him.
"I declare that if its proven that I did it, I will withdraw my candidature right now. If not, will u quit politics?," he said in a tweet addressed to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal and Atishi, the party candidate from East Delhi.
Atishi broke down reading a pamphlet containing "obscene and derogatory" remarks against her on Thursday. She alleged that the pamphlets were distributed in the constituency by her Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival.
Gambhir slammed Kejriwal in a series of tweets, saying he was "ashamed" to have him as the chief minister of Delhi.
The political atmosphere in the national capital vitiated hours before the poll campaigning concluded on Friday evening, with the BJP and the AAP indulging in a bitter blame game.
"I abhor your act of outraging a woman's modesty @ArvindKejriwal and that too your own colleague. And all this for winning elections? U r filth Mr CM and someone needs ur very own Jhadu (broom) to clean ur dirty mind," Gambhir tweeted.
In a statement, the political greenhorn had earlier said there were five women in his family and that he would not resort to such "petty" politics.
"I will not let the AAP leaders go scotfree. I will file defamation suit against them," he had said.
Atishi has alleged that the pamphlets containing derogatory remarks about her as well as her family were distributed by the BJP at housing complexes in East Delhi.
"I had welcomed Gambhir myself when he joined politics but I never imagined that he would stoop to this level in the Lok Sabha polls," she said.
AAP leaders slammed Gambhir on social media and other platforms, with Kejriwal saying he never imagined that the BJP nominee would "stoop so low" while urging Atishi to stay strong.
Gambhir claimed that the "petty politics" exhibited by the AAP was the reason why people with good intentions stayed away from mainstream politics.
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Bengal: Hours after killing of Suvendu's aide, cops say 5 BJP workers injured in bomb attack
Kolkata (PTI): Five BJP supporters have been injured allegedly in a bomb blast in Panihati in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, police said on Thursday.
The incident occurred late on Wednesday night, hours after Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants, which led to the saffron camp accusing the TMC of unleashing retaliatory violence.
The bomb blast occurred near St Xavier's Institution in Panihati. Unidentified assailants hurled crude bombs at a group of BJP workers, injuring at least five people, police said, adding the injured were admitted to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
According to local sources, BJP workers were interacting with residents on Dutta Road in Panihati's Ward number 2 when a group of motorcycle-borne persons allegedly targeted them with bombs before fleeing.
The BJP alleged that the attackers were backed by the ruling Trinamool Congress, an allegation denied by the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
A senior police official said, "We have started an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to identify those involved. Raids are being conducted to nab the accused."
A heavy police deployment has been made in the area.
"We are maintaining strict vigil and appealing to people not to spread rumours. Necessary steps are being taken to maintain peace," the officer added.
Incidentally, the area where the blast occurred is located near the residence of newly elected BJP MLA Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar Hospital rape victim.
