BJP trying to topple AAP govt, says Arvind Kejriwal; Delhi CM claims he's being attacked for questioning Modi govt

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Sunday, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to “topple” the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Delhi, a day after he was slapped by a supposed “disgruntled AAP supporter”. Kejriwal also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s behaviour was indicative of a “dictator”. [caption id=“attachment_6574031” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal accuses BJP of trying to ’topple’ AAP govt. ANI[/caption] On Saturday, Kejriwal was slapped by a man identified as Suresh during a roadshow in Delhi’s Moti Nagar, prompting a strong reaction from AAP, which alleged BJP was behind the “cowardly act”.  The Delhi Police said preliminary interrogation revealed that the 33-year-old accused, a scrap dealer in the area, was a supporter of the party who used to work as an organiser of AAP’s rallies and meetings. However, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the police had planted the man at the roadshow, pointing out that Suresh’s wife was a “Modi bhakt”. At a press conference on Sunday, Kejriwal said, “This was the ninth attack on me in the past five years , and the fifth attack after becoming the chief minister. I don’t think in India’s history there has been so many attacks on any chief minister. In India, the Delhi chief minister is the only one whose security is the responsibility of another party, the BJP.” The AAP chief also alleged that he was being attacked repeatedly because he “dared” to speak against the Central government. “The BJP wants to topple the AAP government, but it cannot. They cannot shut me up because I won’t be cowed down. This is a conspiracy to keep me out of politics,” he claimed, adding that Modi showed the “true traits” of a dictator. “A chief minister is attacked and the Central government says they didn’t receive a complaint and can’t move ahead with further proceedings. The prime minister should resign over it. It’s not an attack on Arvind Kejriwal; it’s an attack on Delhi’s mandate,” he said. The Delhi chief minister also said that several Opposition leaders had extended support to AAP after the assault. West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted soon after the incident and said, “Political vandalism. Political goondaism. Political vendetta. Maligning and attacking Opposition leaders shows that BJP has lost the election and is making desperate attempts. We condemn the attack… We are all with you, Arvind.” Kejriwal said Opposition leaders from across the country, including Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu  had called him to express solidarity after he was assaulted.