BJP ad slams Kejriwal's 'Updravi gotra', AAP demands apology within 24 hours

BJP and AAP have been routinely engaging in a pitched war of words ahead of the state polls but a fresh advertisement in Delhi newspapers about Arvind Kejriwal has raised the hackles of his party, which has asked the BJP to apologise for the poster which they claim targets their leader’s caste. They have threatened to complain to the Election Commission about the advertisement if the apology isn’t received in 24 hours. The BJP has been publishing a slew of advertisements in which they have targeted the former Delhi chief minister and today’s newspapers carried this advertisement:  The AAP has taken particular offence to a line in the advertisement that targets Kejriwal’s caste, with the AAP claiming that the BJP had insulted the entire Agarwal gotra. A line in the advertisement says,“O anarchist…crores of citizens of the country mark Republic Day as a national occasion and are proud of it. And your disorderly gotra was ready to disrupt this as well.” [caption id=“attachment_2074931” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI image[/caption] Kejriwal said that he had kept quiet when the BJP had attacked his children and Anna Hazare in its commercials but questioned how the party could call an entire community of people disruptive. “The BJP can fight against me. But how can they call the entire Agarwal gotra a disruptive one,” he tweeted. “We will complain to the Election Commission. The people of Delhi doesn’t like this abusive politics. On the day of polling people will reply to this,” Kejriwal tweeted. Here’s what he tweeted:

भाजपा को क्या हो गया है? पहले उन्होंने मेरे बच्चों पर निशाना साधा। मैं चुप रहा। अन्ना जी कहते हैं कि अपमान पीने की क्षमता होनी चाहिए।(1/6)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2015

मैने समाज सेवा में निजी अपमान पर कभी प्रतिक्रिया नहीं की। लेकिन आज तो भाजपा ने अपने इश्तिहार में हद ही कर दी।(2/6)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2015

आज भाजपा ने पूरे अगरवाल समाज को ही "उपद्रवी" बता दिया। उन्होंने मेरे गोत्र को "उपद्रवी गोत्र" लिख दिया।(3/6)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2015

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भाजपा की लड़ाई मुझसे हो सकती है। वो पूरे अगरवाल समाज को "उपद्रवी" कैसे कह सकती है?(4/6)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2015

भाजपा अब जातिगत हमले पर उतर आई है। भाजपा पूरे अगरवाल समाज से माफ़ी मांगे।(5/6)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2015

हम चुनाव आयोग से भी इसकी शिकायत करेंगे। दिल्ली के लोग ऐसी गाली गलोज की राजनीति पसंद नहीं करते। वोटिंग वाले दिन लोग इसका जवाब देंगे।(6/6)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2015

Party leaders like Ashutosh and Kumar Vishwas also attacked the BJP over the advertisement.

BJP stooped another low. Now it has attacked Kejriwal's GOTRA in today's advertisement.People belonging to his GOTRA will teach BJP Lesson.

— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) February 2, 2015

Vishwas said that the BJP had insulted an entire category of people while trying to attack Kejriwal. “The traders of the country have been the backbone of this country…The people of this city will teach the BJP a lesson during the polls,” he said. The BJP has countered not with an apology but by saying that the AAP seemed to have a problem with everything barring their own actions. “The AAP has a problem with everything except with what they do,” spokesperson Nalin Kohli said. AAP’s Yogendra Yadav said that the AAP would only benefit from such advertisements which would swing opinion in their favour. “We don’t have any money of such kind, the BJP is doing such advertisements for us… we thank them. One interview Kiran Bedi does is enough to help us for the next five days,” Yadav said. I’m surprised that the EC approved the advertisement put out by the BJP, he said. However, this isn’t the first time that caste has come up during campaigning for the Delhi polls. Kejriwal had earlier described himself as a ‘baniya’ while trying to woo the trader community of Delhi and has evidently decided to make the most of the advertisement by the rival party. Coming five days ahead of polling day, AAP and Kejriwal won’t complain of an additional issue to target the BJP on. The AAP may have sought an apology but won’t complain if they don’t get one.