Political tensions have escalated in Delhi amid the ongoing assembly election campaign, with leaders engaging in heated exchanges and personal attacks.
The controversy erupted during a live TV debate on Tuesday when BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla allegedly used derogatory language against an AAP legislator. The Aam Aadmi Party quickly condemned the remarks, accusing the BJP leader of insulting the entire Maithili Brahmin community.
In a significant development on Wednesday, senior BJP leader Manoj Tiwari distanced himself from his party colleague’s comments. Through a video message posted on social media, Tiwari expressed strong disapproval of the incident, stating, “These days, it seems like using offensive language against the Purvanchal community has become a trend… Whether it’s caste-based, region-based, or community-based, people should think 50 times before making such remarks.”
Addressing the specific incident, Tiwari referred to the debate between BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and AAP spokesperson Rituraj Jha, saying, “I strongly condemn it. Regardless of provocation, we expect our BJP spokespersons to always remain cultured and thoughtful. The party expects this from them. Therefore, I condemn the words spoken by Poonawalla.”
Demanding an apology from his own party spokesperson, the BJP MP said, “I believe the party will take cognizance of the issue. I want Poonawalla to apologise without further commenting on the matter.”
Yesterday, the AAP accused BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla of using inappropriate language against its MLA Rituraj Jha during a live television debate on Republic Bharat.
“BJP spokesperson hurled abusive words at Purvanchal MLA Rituraj Jha on a national channel. This is an insult to the Maithili Brahmin community and an insult to all Purvanchali people,” said AAP in a social media post.
In the post, the AAP also shared a 6-second video clip of the debate, in which Poonawalla said, “Main bhi keh sakta hoon ki Sanjay Jha, Jha 1 aur Rituraj Jha, Jha 2…Main bhi bol sakta hoon Jha 2 ho aap” (I can say Sanjay Jha is Jha 1 and Rituraj Jha is Jha 2. I can say you are Jha 2).
