MCD polls: BJP fields man who vandalised Kejriwal's home

Pradeep Tiwari, the 27-year-old who got arrested in March for vandalism outside of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s house, has been selected by the BJP to be one of its Municipal poll candidates, a move that according to Tiwari is an opportunity for him to redeem himself of all the past allegations.

AAP has slammed the saffron party for fielding Tiwari and called him a hooligan. As per a report in The Indian Express, the party has said that “BJP produces gunda (gangster) and felicitates them for hooliganism and vandalism”.

Tiwari along with seven others of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha(BJYM) was arrested for vandalising the CCTV of the AAP national convener’s residence and painting the house red while protesting. The protest that was triggered by the Delhi CM’s remarks against the movie The Kashmir Files, was led by Tejaswi Surya.

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Responding AAP's allegations, Tiwari - who is contesting from Ramesh Nagar ward - said, “AAP is a party of liars and fascists known to spread lies. They are calling me ‘gunda’ because of the love people have been giving me. The protest was not vandalism; it was a political protest. My love and fight for the Hindu samaj will continue.”

Coming from the Chunna Bhatti slum, Tiwari is the youngest contender from the BJP. He joined the RSS when he was 18-19, a move that spiked his interest in politics.

Shedding light on his personal background, Tiwari said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee had always aimed to reach out to the last person in the country(antim), and claimed he too was an “antim vyakti” coming from an “antim cluster,” drawing a comparison between his life as a slum dweller and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's, who also rose from poverty.

He is known to have been vocal on issues of water, sewage and other basic amenities. Tiwari has apparently been receiving a lot of support and affection from the people of the Ramesh Nagar ward.

He said that around 28,000 voters out of more than 72,000 in Ramesh Nagar live in slums. "They are happy that a slum dweller like them has been fielded in the election".

He also thanked the BJP for giving him an opportunity to contest the MCD polls as a party candidate.

"I have been associated with the BJP for over eight years. I worked as a dedicated worker over the years and now my hard work and commitment has been rewarded by the party," Tiwari said.

His main agenda is “to work for the society and the Hindu Samaj,”

(With inputs from PTI)