New Delhi: Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday alleged that former party councillor Tahir Hussain, who was awarded life imprisonment in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma, was "indirectly working for the BJP".
Refuting the BJP's remarks linking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots, Bharadwaj said Hussain had political links with the BJP before the riots.
He said AAP had expelled Hussain immediately after an FIR was registered against him in connection with Ankit Sharma's murder.
While AAP acted against Hussain, the BJP had continued to support leaders facing serious allegations in other cases linked to the riots, he alleged, adding that the BJP was now trying to shift responsibility onto the AAP.
After Hussain's conviction, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra alleged that prominent AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, extended "protection" to Hussain when the riots took place.
He said Hussain's conviction by a Delhi court proved that AAP leaders fanned the riots.
"Today, a court sentenced AAP leader Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment in the case of inciting riots and the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma. The true face of the Aam Aadmi Party has been revealed," Malhotra said.
In response, Saurabh Bharadwaj said Hussain had political links with the BJP before the riots. He claimed that BJP minister Kapil Mishra had helped Hussain secure a councillor ticket, thus backing his rise in local politics.
Bharadwaj further alleged that the premises from where stones and weapons were allegedly recovered during the 2020 riots had earlier housed Mishra's office.
Pointing out that Hussain later contested the Mustafabad assembly election on an AIMIM ticket "as part of a strategy to benefit the BJP electorally", the Delhi AAP president alleged that the councillor campaigned in the constituency and delivered speeches without the required permission.
