Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Gujarat chief Gopal Italia was detained briefly from outside the National Commission for Women’s (NCW) office in New Delhi on Thursday where he went for recording a statement regarding a controversial video in which he allegedly used derogatory language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Italia reached the NCW office where his supporters from poll-bound Gujarat held placards claiming the BJP to be “anti-Patidar”. NCW chief Rekha Sharma took a serious note of the ruckus created by AAP workers and supporters when Italia arrived at her office to give his statement.
Rekha Sharma tweeted, “All the @AamAadmiParty hooligans are outside my office creating ruckus. @CPDelhi @SouthwestDcp @PMOIndia”.
She told reporters after the hearing that Italia had claimed that he was not the person in the video in a verbal statement. However, in his written response, he said he did not mean it.
Before his detention, Italia had said the NCW chief was threatening to arrest him. “What can the Modi government give to Patels? BJP hates Patidars. I am a descendant of Sardar Patel, not scared of your jails. Put me inside jail. They have called the police also. They are threatening me,” he tweeted.
After this, Rekha Sharma said Italia could have gone “quietly” to the NCW office and given his statement. “What was the need for him to lie and get so many lawyers?” She also said Italia reached at her office with 150-200 supporters.
Ashutosh Pandey, senior research officer with NCW, confirmed that the NCW staff felt threatened by Italia’s supporters. Pandey also said Italia’s verbal and written statements did not match.
Interestingly, when Pandey was asked about Italia’s detention, he denied the reports. “There is no such thing. He will come before you soon. He is there with his lawyers. Everything is happening in a transparent manner”.
But around 2.20 pm, it was confirmed that Italia has been detained, and was taken to an undisclosed location by the Delhi Police.
Meanwhile, NCW’s legal counsellor Ananya Singh said Italia’s supporters tried to gate crash the office. “We felt threatened. If they entered (the gate), they could have misbehaved,” said Singh. She confirmed that the NCW did call the DCP, South East Delhi, to quell the protest.
In a stark contrast to the incident involving former AAP minister Rajendra Gautam who went to attend a conversion event in Delhi that kicked up a row, the party has gone all out to defend Italia who is one of the party’s Patidar faces in Gujarat.
The AAP was quick to attempt to turn this crisis into an opportunity with party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal targeting the BJP for being “anti-Patidar” in Italia’s defence. “The entire Patel community in Gujarat is very angry with the arrest of Gopal Italia,” Kejriwal tweeted on Thursday.
AAP leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Sanjay Singh and Atishi Singh at back to back press conferences on Thursday reiterated that the BJP is scared of AAP’s popularity in Gujarat.
MLA Atishi Singh said the BJP “did not have the courage” to arrest Italia in Gujarat and therefore it did so in Delhi.
The BJP has slammed AAP over Italia’s comments that have emerged in two videos on remarks on PM Modi and participation of women in Hindu festivals. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted, “Kejriwal ka haath, hindu virodhi , mahila virodhi & gaali denewale Gopal Italia ke saath! What more proof is required that he was the mastermind of the statements by Rajendra Pal and Gopal Italia on Hindus, PM Modi, Katha, Mandir.”
Gopal Italia was let off around 5.30 pm on Thursday after formalities regarding the NCW complaint were completed.
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