New Delhi (PTI): If the country's biggest party indulges in hooliganism, it will send out a wrong message and the country cannot progress in such a scenario, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, a day after BJP's youth wing members allegedly vandalised property outside his residence.
The BJP's youth wing damaged property outside the residence of Kejriwal on Wednesday during a protest against his remarks on 'The Kashmir Files' film.
"Arvind Kejriwal is not important but the country is. I can lay down my life for the nation. India will not progress through such hoolignanism.
"If the biggest party of the country, which is in power at the Centre, resorts to such hooliganism, it will spread a bad message among people. People will think that this is the right way (to deal with anything)," he said at an event.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday had lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging it was a "conspiracy to kill" Kejriwal as the saffron party is unable to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party in elections.
The BJP, however, has accused the AAP of scripting a drama and playing the "victim card" after the ''public anger'' against Kejriwal's remarks "mocking" displaced Kashmiri Pandits.
The Delhi Police has arrested eight people in connection with alleged vandalism at Kejriwal's residence here.
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday termed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as a "brazen assault" on the Constitution, saying it was part of the BJP's strategy to keep society in a state of "permanent polarisation".
Hours after the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf amendment bill, Gandhi said the bill was "bulldozed" through in the lower house.
Addressing Congress MPs at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in Samvidhan Sadan here, she also said that the One Nation, One Election Bill is another subversion of the Constitution and the party would strongly oppose it.
"Whether it is education, civil rights and liberties, our federal structure or conduct of elections, the Modi government is dragging the country into an abyss where our Constitution will remain on paper and we know their intention is to demolish even that," she charged.
"It is vital for all of us to continue to fight for what is right and just, to expose Modi government's failing and intention to turn India into a surveillance state," Gandhi told MPs at the meeting.
All party MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were present at the meeting.
Sonia Gandhi also alleged that the prime minister has rebranded, repackaged and marketed numerous initiatives taken during 2004-2014 as his own personal accomplishments. That too needs to be exposed through our own public outreach activities, she asserted.
Speaking on the functioning of both houses of Parliament, she charged that the Leaders of Opposition are not allowed to speak and the treasury benches are often found to be creating disturbance in a bid to not allow the Congress to raise their issues.
Noting that the BJP members aggressively target Congress-ruled state governments, with "total falsehoods", she urged party MPs to be equally aggressive and raise the failures and mis-governance in BJP-ruled states.
This will mean much more pointed homework and research on our part, she noted.
The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill well past midnight after a 12-hour debate.
The Bill was passed after all amendments moved by the opposition members were rejected by voice votes. It was passed after division of votes -- 288 in favour and 232 against. The Bill will now come up in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.