Tussle over remarks spills into UP, Bihar

The political firestorm over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal's remarks about Purvanchali voters has spread to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, sparking sharp reactions from leaders across parties, some in favour and many against.

- HT Correspondents

PATNA/LUCKNOW:

While allies like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party (SP) defended Kejriwal saying that his remarks were being "distorted" out of context, others, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United), launched scathing attacks, accusing him of disrespecting migrants.

The controversy erupted after Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that the BJP was importing "fake voters" from neighbouring states to influence the Delhi polls.

The BJP seized on the remark, portraying it as an affront to the Purvanchali people - those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - who make up a significant portion of Delhi's electorate.

In Uttar Pradesh, deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Keshav Prasad Maurya condemned Kejriwal's comments as "highly insulting" to the hard-working people of Purvanchal.