New Delhi [India], January 24: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit has strongly criticized All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, accusing him of attempting to “disrupt” peace in Delhi, especially in areas like North East Delhi and Okhla, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Dikshit claimed that Owaisi’s actions were aimed at fueling communal tensions during the election period.
Dikshit, who is contesting the Delhi Assembly elections from the New Delhi constituency, further stated that while the BJP had previously attempted to incite communal strife, those efforts had failed in Delhi. He added that Owaisi’s actions were a reflection of his fear of Congress’s rising influence in the region.
“Owaisi’s job is to bring communalism everywhere. He wants to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the elections in North East Delhi, Okhla, and other areas. The BJP tried to incite communalism too, but it didn’t succeed in Delhi. Owaisi is also afraid of Congress’ victory in Delhi,” Dikshit told ANI.
The comments come in response to Owaisi’s recent remarks, in which he expressed support for AIMIM candidate Shifa-Ur-Rehman, who is currently in jail in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case. Owaisi suggested that if Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could contest elections after being granted bail, Rehman should be allowed to do the same.
Dikshit also took the opportunity to criticize Kejriwal over the issue of Yamuna pollution, linking it to the failure of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to address the river’s deteriorating condition. He highlighted that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had initiated the Ganga Action Plan, which later received attention from Uttar Pradesh governments, and questioned why similar efforts had not been made to clean the Yamuna during Kejriwal’s tenure.
“Rajiv Gandhi launched the Ganga Action Plan in the late ’80s. After that, Uttar Pradesh governments continued the work. Why wasn’t the cleaning of Yamuna raised until the last 5-6 months? Under Sheila Dikshit, there were plans to install interceptors to clean drains like Najafgarh and Shahdara, but Kejriwal is directly responsible for the current state of Yamuna,” Dikshit said.
This comes after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticized Kejriwal over the pollution in Yamuna, suggesting that Kejriwal should take action like he did with his cabinet in Prayagraj.
Additionally, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand responded to Adityanath’s remarks, pointing out the pollution in rivers in Uttar Pradesh, including the Gomati in Lucknow. He questioned why the BJP was quick to criticize others without addressing their own environmental issues.