AAP stages protest outside BJP office over its leaders' remarks against Sunderlal Bahuguna

The AAP Uttarakhand wing on Sunday staged a protest outside the BJP head office in Delhi after some BJP leaders allegedly used demeaning language for environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's demand for giving Bharat Ratna to the late environmentalist led to a war of words between him and some BJP leaders on Saturday.

New Delhi: The AAP Uttarakhand wing on Sunday staged a protest outside the BJP head office in Delhi after some BJP leaders allegedly used demeaning language for environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's demand for giving Bharat Ratna to the late environmentalist led to a war of words between him and some BJP leaders on Saturday.

Kejriwal hit out at the BJP for allegedly using "demeaning language" for Bahuguna after a saffron party's spokesperson took a jibe at the senior AAP leader for demanding Bharat Ratna for the Chipko Movement leader.

Earlier on Saturday, Kejriwal said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to bestow Bharat Ratna on Bahuguna as the country celebrates its 75th year of independence. Responding to that, BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal said, "Delhi's @ArvindKejriwal has mistook 'Bharat Ratna' as a packet of Rewari (a sweet item) and distributes it wherever he goes."

Reacting to the tweet, Kejriwal said the BJP can abuse him but should not say such demeaning things for Bahuguna. "BJP can hurl all abuses they want at me, but it is not right to say such a demeaning thing in the context of Sunderlal Bahuguna Ji," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The AAP Uttarakhand unit staged the protest against the use of demeaning language by BJP leaders. MLA Kuldeep Kumar, who was present at the protest site, claimed that the BJP had insulted the entire country by this move and that the AAP will continue to protest against them till they apologise.

President of the Uttarakhand wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Brij Mohan Upreti said the leaders of the BJP cannot accept the fact that Kejriwal installed a portrait and a statue of the great environmentalist in the Delhi Assembly. BJP leader Parvesh Singh asked Kejriwal to not do politics over "Bharat Ratna".

"Who will make his tongue dirty by abusing you? Second thing - Those who are talking about giving Bharat Ratna honour only because of the Uttarakhand elections, should at least put "Shri" in front of their names. Third thing - no one has said anything demeaning and only said that do not do politics on 'Bharat Ratna' and give water in Delhi," Singh tweeted, referring to the water crisis in the national capital.

(PTI)