Country seeing AAP's true face: PM after Tahir Hussain's conviction in riot case
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the conviction of its former councillor Tahir Hussain
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the conviction of its former councillor Tahir Hussain, accusing the party of questioning the judiciary to protect its vote bank. He also launched a broader attack on the AAP government in Punjab, accusing it of corruption, poor governance, and misusing central funds. Addressing a public rally in Jalandhar, PM Modi referred to Hussain's conviction in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case without naming him initially and said the country was witnessing the opposition's true face. Read Full Story "The country is seeing their true face. Just two or three days ago, one of their leaders in Delhi was convicted by a court. He was found guilty of inciting riots and of the murder of an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer," PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister alleged that despite the verdict being based on evidence, opposition leaders were attempting to discredit the court's decision. "The court delivered its judgment based on evidence, yet they are questioning the verdict. They are even trying to give a religious colour to the court's decision because of their vote-bank politics," he said. PM Modi's remarks came days after a Delhi court convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. More than six years after Sharma was killed during the riots, a Delhi court on Monday convicted Hussain and four others in the murder case while acquitting six accused due to lack of evidence. The court found Hussain guilty under provisions related to murder, promoting enmity between different religious groups, rioting, and assault or criminal force used to dishonour a person.
However, it dropped the criminal conspiracy charge against him. Turning his focus to Punjab, Modi said the condition of the state under the AAP government was visible to everyone. "Today you see what is happening in Punjab. This is not hidden from anyone. This Punjab government is hiding its reality under," he said. The Prime Minister alleged that law and order in Punjab had deteriorated, claiming gang wars and extortion had become common and that even police stations were not safe. He further alleged that Punjab's future was being damaged as drug peddlers were operating openly and the state's youth were being pushed towards drugs. Modi also accused the ruling party in Punjab of failing to live up to its promises. "Those ruling Punjab today made big claims of changing the politics of the country, but today the country is watching them," he said, before referring to the conviction of the former AAP leader.
The BriefWire