Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday accused the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) of acting as the "B-Team" of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and challenged it to protest in Punjab over the killing of an anti-drug activist.
Addressing a press conference, Gupta alleged that Opposition parties and other organisations were "colluding with foreign elements" to harm India.
Gupta challenges CJP to protest over activist's killing
Gupta questioned why the CJP did not protest against incidents in states ruled by Opposition parties. She challenged the outfit to raise its voice over the killing of Parvinder Singh, alias Jhota, in Punjab.
The activist, known for speaking out against drug abuse and the illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, was shot dead in broad daylight in a busy market in Punjab's Mansa district on October 13.
"Why do they act like the B-Team of AAP and work only on agendas suited to the party?" Gupta asked.
CM slams CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar
Gupta also criticised the CJP for insisting on holding protests at Jantar Mantar, which has recently been denotified as a designated protest site. She accused the outfit of troubling Delhi residents and "destroying" the city.
On Tuesday, some CJP leaders breached barricades and entered the area despite the denotification, raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Gupta targets Congress, AAP over SIR
The chief minister criticised the Congress and AAP for opposing the SIR exercise, claiming that they did not raise similar concerns in states where they had won elections.
She alleged that Opposition parties and other organisations were unhappy with their electoral losses and were trying to disrupt the country for political gains.
"This is the reason why they are trying to harm the country in collusion with foreign elements who envy India," Gupta alleged. "They are hurt after losing power and are hence troubling the whole country for their political ambitions."
Gupta also claimed that the protests had caused losses worth thousands of crores of rupees and inconvenienced traders and ordinary people in Delhi.
"This is not the first time the SIR happened in the country: it was conducted in 2002 by the Election Commission," she pointed out.