New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) AAP leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday said he faced a threat to life after being slapped by a man while campaigning for his party here.
"These attacks are scripted. When they (attackers) are arrested, they repeat the (same) script," Kejriwal told the media after being attacked by an auto-rickshaw driver who first garlanded the AAP leader.
The attacker then gave a whacking slap, stunning Kejriwal.
"Why are all the attacks taking place only on us?" Kejriwal later asked. "There will be more attacks, and we can also get killed."
The attack in Sultanpuri, a dominantly low-income area in west Delhi, left the 45-year-old Kejriwal with a swollen left eye.
The attacker was identified as 38-year-old Lali, an autorickshaw driver. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters roughed him up after the incident.
On April 4, Kejriwal was punched in south Delhi by a teenager who too pretended to garland him.
Tuesday's assault took place when Kejriwal, who was Delhi's chief minister for 49 days until Feb 14, was campaigning for AAP candidate Rakhi Birla. Delhi goes to polls Thursday.
A party member told IANS that there was a growing feeling among party members that Kejriwal should accept the security a former chief minister is entitled to.
In a quick tweet, Kejriwal asked: "Why am I being repeatedly attacked? Who (are) the masterminds? What do they want? What do they achieve?"
He added philosophically: "...let them tell me (the) place n time. I will come there. Let them beat me as much as they want."
Kejriwal further said in Hindi: "The way to truth is difficult, but ultimately truth prevails."
The AAP leader, a former government official-turned-activist, later said that there was no place for violence in a democratic society.
"This is the fifth attack on me in a month... Those who are attacking me are the victims of the system. I have no ill feeling towards them."
"These attacks are scripted. When they (attackers) are arrested, they repeat the (same) script."
Asked whey he was being targeted, he said the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party had spoiled the "setting" between various political parties.
But he refused to accept security normally available to senior politicians.
"I don't want security. As long as god wants me to live, no one can harm me. The day god feels my time is over, I will die, no one can stop that."
The attacker denounced Kejriwal as a "liar" and said both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were better than the AAP. The BJP denied it was responsible.
AAP leader and Kejriwal confidant Manish Sisodia said such attacks cannot be stopped by beefing up security.
Without naming anyone, he said that those attacking Kejriwal were getting money. "The last attack was a paid one. I don't know who are behind such incidents."
UPA III will give houses, medical facilities to poor: Rahul
Durg (Chhattisgarh), April 22 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday promised the poor living in Chhattisgarh that UPA III would provide them free housing and medical facilities if it
Jaycee Chan prosecuted on drug charge
Kungfu superstar Jackie Chan's 32-year-old son Jaycee Chan was prosecuted for allegedly providing a venue for drug users.
PM Modi: 'It is wrong to use such bad language against the Prime Minister', Union Minister made a sharp attack on Kharge
Union Minister Prad Joshi has sharply criticized Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Prahlad Joshi accused Kharge of using bad language against PM Modi. In fact, during a rally in Rajasthan,
Odisha Chit Fund Scam: CBI Raids 14 Locations (Lead)
Bhubaneswar, Jan 13 (IANS) A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI Tuesday searched 14 places in Odisha in connection with the chit fund scam, officials said.The searches were conducted in
Security alarm triggers panic in Shimla
Shimla, Jan 27 (IANS) A technical snag in the security alarm, which has been operating since the days of the British Raj, triggered panic in this Himachal Pradesh capital early Tuesday.The alarm,
Victory of common man: Section 66A victim
Kolkata, March 24 (IANS) Victims and legal experts on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's verdict striking down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and termed it a victory for the
616 students conferred diplomas at IIM-Lucknow convocation
Lucknow, March 14 (IANS) The 29th annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) was held on Saturday, with 616 students being awarded their diplomas by its director,
NEET PG 2021: Supreme Court reprimanded for 1450 seats remaining vacant, said- it is playing with the future of doctors
Supreme Court on NEET PG 2021 Counseling: Despite the completion of all rounds of counseling of NEET PG 2021, about 1450 seats are vacant this year in post-graduate medical courses. The Supreme Court
Afghanistan: Taliban regime became hell for girls, father made a deal with his nine-year-old daughter to satisfy the family's hunger
Afghanistan is going from bad to worse after the Taliban rule. The economic condition here is so bad that people are suffering from hunger. Banks have run out of cash. The Taliban government also has
Chirag Paswan: The story of Chirag Paswan's journey from exile to becoming a cabinet minister, proved him to be a mature leader
Chirag Paswan is a great story of political transformation in Bihar and national politics. After the death of father Ram Vilas Paswan in 2020, the party contested assembly elections in Bihar for the
