BJP, AAP hold protests; road diversions, heavy barricading chokes central Delhi

Vehicles stuck in traffic jam on the Vikas Marg amid AAP and BJP protest, in New Delhi, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. PTI Photo

Rivals BJP and AAP staged protests a few hundred metres away from each other on the DDU Marg on issues of corruption and the Chandigarh mayoral polls on Friday, turning central Delhi into a fortress with layers of barricades on roads and a large deployment of police personnel.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had planned its demonstration against "cheating" in the mayoral elections in front of the BJP headquarters, and the BJP its protest over "corruption" in the Arvind Kejriwal government in front of the AAP office.

But workers and leaders of both parties could not reach their planned protest sites covering a distance of hardly 800 metres owing to a wall of barricades and police personnel on the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Marg.

Just not in central Delhi, police said "elaborate arrangements" had also been made on the national capital's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to maintain law and order.

"At least, 27 workers of the AAP entering Delhi from the Singhu border (with Haryana) were detained by the Delhi Police. The protestors were taken to the Narela Industrial Area police station. The detained persons will be released a few hours after verification," a senior officer said.

The AAP, meanwhile, alleged that not just its workers, but some of its leaders, including MLAs and councillors, were placed under house arrest or detained to stop them from participating in the protest.

"Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal have been placed under house arrest. MLAs of Rajouri Garden, Bijwasan, Chhatarpur and Krishna Nagar, and councillors of Laxmi Nagar, Badli, Tri Nagar, Moti Nagar and Timarpur have also been placed under house arrest," Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai told a press conference. He added that "police should issue a clarification on this".

"The job of police is to maintain law and order and not to spread anarchy. The way the police are arresting people and stopping them. It seems as if they are instigating people to spread anarchy," he alleged and added that this is an "unprecedented situation".

Addressing a large gathering at the protest at his party's office, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal targeted the BJP and said if it can "rig" the Chandigarh mayoral polls, it could go to any extent in assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

The world's biggest party was caught on camera "stealing" votes in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, he said. The elections to the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor were held on Tuesday and the BJP won all defeating the Congress-AAP alliance

"In the last few years, we had heard that BJP rigs polls. They tamper with EVMs, get names of voters deleted from voter lists, but never was any evidence found. They were caught red-handed in Chandigarh stealing votes," said Kejriwal at the protest which was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann.

In a post on X, earlier in the day, Kejriwal had said that, "First votes were stolen in the Chandigarh mayoral elections. Now, people coming to protest peacefully against this are being stopped at various places across Delhi."

BJP leaders and workers, who gathered in large numbers in front of their party's office waving flags and with placards and posters criticising the Kejriwal, attacked his government, alleging it is corrupt. They demanded Kejriwal's resignation.

"Kejriwal government has become synonymous with corruption. Every day a scam of the government is exposed before the people," Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said.

The security measures and route diversions in view of the protests led to heavy traffic congestion in the central Delhi area leaving commuters stranded in long jams.

Officials said roads leading to the DDU Marg have been closed since morning and barricades have been set up near the headquarters of the BJP and the AAP.

Traffic movement was affected on the DDU Marg and roads leading to it as well as the GT Karnal Road and other key stretches such as the NH-24 and the Akshardham-Noida Link Road.

Describing the scene around the AAP office, Rai said it has been turned into a "fortress" by police.

"It seems that it is a protest by police. At various places, our party workers have been detained. We want to stage a peaceful protest. Events and protests have been organised earlier also by the AAP but never has such a large deployment been made by police," he said.

AAP leader Durgesh Pathak claimed that Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi was placed under house arrest and it seemed like the BJP has turned Delhi into a "jail".

In a post on X earlier, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi said, "Heavy barricading all across Delhi. Buses full of AAP volunteers being detained. Hundreds of para-military forces outside the AAP office." "Why is the BJP so scared of a protest on the Chandigarh mayoral elections?" she asked.

Her cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj in a video statement asked whether the BJP was scared of Kejriwal.

"The entire entire country saw how votes were stolen in the Chandigarh mayoral polls by the BJP," he said.

The BJP on Tuesday retained all three posts of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, in a setback to opposition INDIA bloc members Congress and AAP.

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