New Delhi: BJP Tuesday hailed former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain’s conviction in the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma in the 2020 Delhi riots. The party called the verdict historic. BJP also launched a fresh attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Sonia and Rahul Gandhi of Congress. AAP, however, said that it had suspended Hussain from the party within hours of registration of the FIR against him.Kejriwal was “the biggest culprit” and provided Hussain a political shield, and sacked him from the party only under mounting public anger, BJP said.. The then chief minister also did not stand with Sharma’s family, BJP added. Kejriwal should tender an apology, the party said. “Attempts were made to cover up the case…. After he (Hussain) was arrested, Kejriwal went into hiding and did not utter a word,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.AAP said Hussain contested the Delhi Assembly election as an AIMIM candidate. He contested from Mustafabad, where his candidature split the Muslim vote and helped BJP win. After his removal from the party, AAP never associated with him, the party said.At a news conference Tuesday, Bhatia flayed the Congress leadership too, especially Sonia, for saying that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act called for “aar paar ki ladai”. The law, passed in 2019, triggered protests that lasted several months. Bhatia demanded an “unconditional apology” from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. “Vulture politics” and “appeasement politics” is how the BJP spokesperson described Congress’ actions.“After CAA was passed in Parliament, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi created an atmosphere of confusion by claiming that Muslims would lose their citizenship with its implementation,” Bhatia said. Has a single Muslim lost his citizenship under CAA, he asked.The verdict is a victory of the Constitution, law, justice and the people, the BJP spokesperson added.
