'Remove Bharti from Assembly'

Judicial report holds cops right in refusing to act as per Bharti’s order

The Congress on Sunday held a protest against, what it called, the double standards of the Aam Aadmi Party and demanded the removal of the former Delhi minister Somnath Bharti from the Assembly for his “racist” behaviour.

Party workers, led by Delhi unit chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, shouted slogans in Jangpura and Bhogal and demanded that former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal should stop defending Bharti.

The protest held under the “Pol Khol Abhiyaan” of the Congress focussed on highlighting the “failures” of the 49-day rule of the AAP government in the city.

“The party passed a resolution seeking termination of Bharti’s Assembly membership,” said Lovely. He added that the matter will  also be taken up with the Speaker. Congress Legislature Party chief Haroon Yusuf said, “The AAP talks of taking a high moral ground but when it came to taking action against Bharti, Kejriwal  didn’t act against him despite negative observations of a judicial probe.”

Bharti was involved in a midnight “raid” against women from Uganda in Khirki Extension colony in south Delhi in January. His controversial action had pitted him against the policemen who refused to act against the foreigners whom the AAP leader suspected of being part of a prostitution and drugs racket. 

A judicial report has now held that the policemen were not wrong to refuse to act as per Bharti’s orders. 

Lovely said, “Bharti has been found guilty in the judicial inquiry into the midnight raid.” “Kejriwal should tender an unconditional apology for shielding Bharti from arrest in the case,” he added.

Congress leader Mukesh Sharma, a former legislator, said, “An entire day’s proceedings in the Assembly was spent on the Bharti issue, yet Kejriwal didn’t ask his cabinet colleague to quit.”