AAP's Dharmendra Koli a victim of Congress's dirty tricks department?

Even as the AAP trounced the Congress in many of its erstwhile low-income strongholds in Delhi, angry elements from the Grand Old Party may already be at work to discredit AAP’s newly elected MLAs. Newly minted AAP MLA from Seemapuri constituency, and also AAP’s youngest MLA, Dharmendra Singh Koli, was booked by the Delhi Police yesterday on serious charges of molestation, based on a complaint filed by erstwhile three-time Congress MLA and Seemapuri strongman Veer Singh Dhingan’s wife. According to the complaint , it has been alleged that Koli and his supporters molested and misbehaved with Dhingan’s wife and other women who were present at his residence during a victory procession. Dhingan was a Congress candidate with a criminal record as well as a record of broken promises in one of Delhi’s poorest constituencies that the Times of India has earlier described as “a ’total’ Muslim area with a substantial population eking out a living as ragpickers, which has always voted Congress and one where no development has ever touched the area.” [caption id=“attachment_1278205” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AAP volunteers celebrating after their victory. Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost[/caption] The new AAP MLA Koli’s sister Santosh Koli would have been the logical AAP candidate choice had she been alive. Santosh died in August after a hit-and-run accident and was one of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s earliest associates, having worked with him since 2002. Kejriwal has alleged that Santosh’s death was a conspiracy and at a press conference after the Delhi verdict, he remembered her, saying , “They killed Santosh Koli but this did not stop us. Her brother Dharmendra Koli beat Veer Singh Dhingan by a huge margin.” Koli was also attacked by local goons with blades and surgical knives in 2005, when she gained prominence for her work to increase transparency in public distribution system. Residents of the area and Dharmendra Koli’s sister too were of the opinion that his victory in Seemapuri was because of Santosh Koli’s work. Santosh Koli would mobilise hundreds of local residents in every street protest conducted by Kejriwal and aides, something which reflected her popularity in her area. “She was everyone’s daughter. Her locality was like her extended family,” Javed, AAP member and Sundar Nagri resident had told Firstpost . Expectedly, Dharmendra Koli has denied the charges. He said that it was a fake case and an attempt to malign his image, while the AAP said prima facie it seemed to be an attempt to malign the image of the party. “I was busy throughout the day in the procession. Our procession passed through Seemapuri, Gopulpuri and other parts of the constituency. I was in an open jeep and did not get time to get out of it. How can I do such things? It is an attempt to malign my image,” he said. AAP also pointed out in a statement that the incident took place in the morning and a complaint was filed late in the night. However, in case the allegations are found to be true, the AAP has promised Koli will be expelled from the party. Koli has promised to file a defamation suit if they turn out to be false.