AAP alleges bid to suppress voices by halting press conference, BJP hits back

NEW DELHI: Senior AAP member and MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday alleged that under pressure from BJP, Delhi Police stopped AAP from holding a press conference and prevented journalists from viewing a documentary on Arvind Kejriwal.

However, a senior Delhi Police officer said, "No permission was obtained. It must be obtained from the district magistrate for all election-related activities".

AAP had booked the Godavari auditorium at Andhra Association for the event. In protest, Singh staged a sit-in outside the auditorium, demanding the officials produce the order to stop the press conference. However, as per Singh, they failed to provide any such document.

Singh asserted that AAP would screen the documentary, no matter what BJP did. He questioned why BJP was so scared. "It reveals how Kejriwal was falsely arrested. Election Commission must explain the rule under which the hall's permission was cancelled," he said.

He added, "A documentary has been made about AAP, highlighting how false cases were used to imprison Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain. This documentary contains no electoral promotion and makes no appeal for votes. We were not holding a rally or gathering. On Saturday, the screening of this documentary was stopped. On Sunday, I planned to hold a press conference to show it to the media."

Singh said he reached the location for the press conference alone and there was no crowd present. He was stopped by officials, who claimed that no permission was granted for the event. This led to a prolonged argument between the AAP MP and the officials.

"I was informed that Delhi Police prohibited the press conference. The excuse given on Saturday was that people were gathering at the venue. Later, police and Election Commission stated no permission was needed for the event and neither was any permission taken. Despite this, today, the permission was cancelled again. I cannot recall any instance where Election Commission has ever required permission for a press conference. Its authority is limited to granting permissions related to election campaigns."

BJP hit back at Singh, stating that amid the "increasing likelihood of defeat in the assembly elections, AAP leaders had lost their political balance and have been making absurd statements daily".

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "Moving beyond their routine rhetoric, Singh and others have attempted to create new confusion by producing a short film about Kejriwal's arrest and arranging for its screening. Kejriwal and Singh should understand that merely showing his self-produced film in a private screening will not establish his innocence; they will need to prove his innocence in a court of law."

He added, "Kejriwal should also remember that prior to any private screening, he requires the court's permission, as the court prohibited him from making public statements or discussions regarding his case."