Days after chilly powder was flung at Arvind Kejriwal, a visitor at the Delhi chief minister's residence was arrested Tuesday after a bullet was found in his purse during frisking, triggering a fresh round of war of words between the ruling AAP and the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asked the Centre to get over "petty politics" and pay attention to the chief minister's security. It also slammed the BJP and its government at the Centre over what they claimed was a "third attack" on Kejriwal in last one month.
The Delhi BJP unit, meanwhile, said it was a ploy of Kejriwal to distract attention from the "failures" of his government. It said the AAP supremo was coming up with such "dramatic" things as the elections were nearing.
The saffron party also sought a detailed probe into the chilly powder attack to unearth a "conspiracy" by the AAP, which, it said, was playing the "victim card".
A 39-year-old man, who was going to meet the chief minister at his residence here, was arrested after a bullet was found in his purse during frisking, police said Tuesday.
Mohammad Imran, a caretaker of a mosque in Karol Bagh and resident of Seelampur locality, was arrested when he was going to attend a Janta Darbar (public meeting) at the chief minister's residence on Monday, they said.
A senior police officer said Imran had come to meet the chief minister at the Janta Darbar around 11:15 am.
He had come with 12 imams and maulvis to discuss the issue of increasing salary of the staff working at the Delhi Waqf Board, the officer said.
During the search, a live cartridge of .32 bore was found in his purse by the security staff deputed at Kejriwal's residence. Imran was handed over to the local police and accordingly, a case was registered at the Civil Lines police station under relevant sections of the Arms Act, police said.
"It is a very serious matter that a man carrying a live cartridge managed to reach the chief minister at his Janta Darbar. We appeal to the Centre to set aside petty politics and pay attention to his security," AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said.
The AAP leaders noted that last week a man had attacked Kejriwal at the Delhi Secretariat by throwing chilly powder on him. They also alleged that Delhi BJP unit chief Manoj Tiwari "along with his goons had tried to hurt Kejriwal during the inaugural of the Signature Bridge".
Bhardwaj also alleged that the Delhi Police was not paying attention to the attacks on Kejriwal. He said no charge sheet was filed in an attack on the AAP chief at Chhatrasal stadium.
A woman had thrown ink at him during an event at the stadium in January 2016.
Reacting to the development, the Delhi BJP unit chief said, "If anybody wanted to kill, he would carry a firearm not merely a bullet. It is all a ploy of Arvind Kejriwal to distract attention from failures of his government and he is coming out with these dramatic things quite regularly as elections are nearing".
The Delhi BJP legislators also sought a detailed probe into the chilly powder attack on the chief minister.
The MLAs met Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and submitted a memorandum. They demanded the arrest of an aide of Kejriwal, who, they alleged, facilitated the entry of the man who threw chilly powder on the chief minister at the secretariat here last week.
"It is surprising that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and the AAP have not filed a complaint. Do the CMO and AAP have nothing to do with the safety and security of the chief minister?" Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta said.
"The high voltage drama by the AAP in Delhi smells of a conspiracy to play the victim card over the issue," he said.
Gupta alleged there were "discrepancies in the allegations of the Delhi government, Home Minister Satyendar Jain and the AAP, and still the BJP was being targeted over the issue, although the police interrogation of accused (Anil Sharma) revealed that he had no affiliation with the (BJP) party".
The AAP called a special session of the Delhi Assembly, which ended on Tuesday, to discuss the recent attack on the chief minister and other issues.
A resolution was passed by the House, dominated by the AAP, seeking the city government's control over Delhi Police.
Kejriwal had on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down if he cannot ensure the Delhi chief minister's security.
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