Farmer’s suicide at AAP rally: Political blame game begins

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Apr 23, 2015: Political blame game has begun soon after a farmer from Rajasthan committed suicide at an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rally organised to protest the Land Acquisition Bill on Wednesday. Reacting to the incident, the AAP directly blamed the Delhi Police for not acting in time to save the farmer while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party for being “mute spectators”.

 

The dramatic death of Gajendra Singh, a father of three, immediately turned into a drama as AAP leaders cried “sabotage” and  accused the Delhi Police for not acting in time which is under the Centre. Facing criticism over the incident that took place in full public view in the presence of AAP’s top leaders, Kejriwal said, “We kept asking the police to bring him down. Police may not be in our jurisdiction but at least there should be a semblance of humanity among them. I am rushing to the hospital with Manish Sisodia.”

Later in the day, Ashutosh along with other senior AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh even went on to make a sarcastic comment in reaction to allegations it received from all quarters on the incident. “Should the Delhi CM have climbed the tree to save that farmer? Next time I will tell the CM to climb the tree,” said Ashutosh adding, “AAP was the first party to rush to the hospital.” He, however, apologised for making the statement.

Under fire over the Land Acquisition Bill in Parliament and outside, the BJP slammed Kejriwal for continuing with his speech at the rally even as the tragedy unfolded at Jantar Mantar, a stone’s throw away from Parliament. Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay also demanded that an FIR be registered against the organisers of the rally. “It is a case of murder and the entire matter be investigated,” he said.

The Congress targeted both the AAP and the BJP for the  suicide committed by Gajendra Singh, a distressed farmer from Rajasthan, demanding registration of a case of abetment to suicide against the Centre and Delhi Governments. “A case of abetment of suicide should be lodged against the Central Government and the State Government....The two persons who can be held most  responsible for the suicide are PM (Narendra) Modi and CM (Arvind) Kejriwal,” said Congress spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi.