Last Updated:January 28, 2025, 12:23 IST
BJP’s Karawal Nagar pick has been accused of inciting violence during the Delhi Riots, a charge he has repeatedly denied
On February 23, hours before the communal riots broke out in Northeast Delhi, Mishra gave an “ultimatum” to the Delhi Police to remove anti-CAA protesters blocking roads in the area. (PTI)
On the eve of February 23, 2020, deadly riots broke out in Northeast Delhi between Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and pro-CAA protesters. The violence took a sharp communal turn, leading to 53 deaths over the next 10 days. More than 200 were left injured. Shops were gutted, houses burnt down and even places of worship were not spared from attacks.
While one of the key accused of the riots, former AAP leader Tahir Hussain, has been in jail over a complaint under anti-terror law UAPA, he has filed his nomination from Mustafabad, triggering a flashback of the violent days for residents of not just Mustafabad but other seats in this North-East Delhi belt, which was rocked by communal violence five years ago.
Another candidate accused of inciting violence is BJP’s Karawal Nagar pick Kapil Mishra. Karawal Nagar is just next to Mustafabad from where Hussain is fighting the 2025 Delhi election.
Mishra had then posted a tweet with communal undertones. “Pakistan has entered Shaheen Bagh. Mini-Pakistans are being created in the city. The law of the land is not being followed in Shaheen Bagh, Chand Bagh and Indralok. Pakistani rioters are occupying Delhi roads." Then came his ‘ultimatum’ moment.
On February 23, hours before the communal riots broke out in Northeast Delhi, Mishra gave an “ultimatum" to the Delhi Police to remove anti-CAA protesters blocking roads in the area. He even urged his supporters to gather at Maujpur Chowk in support of CAA in reply to the roadblock by those protesting against the new citizenship law. The rest, as they say, is history.
News18 asked Mishra about problems in his constituency, Tahir Hussain, Delhi Riots, and his infamous ultimatum. Five years later, as BJP candidate, Mishra says, “Mujhe Santosh hai" (I am content) for issuing the ultimatum to clear the road “for the sake of residents of Delhi".
Here are the edited excerpts:
What are the key issues for Karawal Nagar this time?
The issue remains the same, not just for Karawal Nagar but for the entire Delhi — backstabbing by Arvind Kejriwal. Today, Delhiites don’t have their basic needs met — roads are broken, water is contaminated, pollution is high, there is a scarcity of buses, the condition of Delhi’s main river is not hidden from anyone, temporary employees are being left in the lurch, street vendors’ problems are not being addressed — all these are issues for Delhi and Karawal Nagar. To add to this long list, Kejriwal’s lies about L-G and PM Modi are also an electoral issue this time. This election is an election for change.
On February 8, will the BJP smile or frown?
BJP is coming to power in Delhi this time. The response I am witnessing in Karawal Nagar, I can say with certainty that the BJP is coming to power with a clear majority this time. We will form the government. Ram Bhakts will form the government this time.
The entire belt we are in was rocked by Delhi Riots five years ago. In neighbouring Mustafabad, a key accused of the riots, Tahir Hussain, has filed his nomination as a candidate. Will there be any ramifications?
Look, there would have been no ramifications. We were fighting the election on issues of broken roads, polluted air, unhygienic drains and a dirty river. But why has Hussain been launched in the electoral fray? Manoj Tyagi, who clandestinely kept Hussain in his house after the murder of Ankit Sharma, has been given a ticket by the Aam Aadmi Party (from Karawal Nagar). If you launch such individuals, then people here will be reminded of the past. This is akin to rubbing salt in our wounds. This shouldn’t have happened. AAP is brazenly playing the Muslim card. AAP is going to one particular community and stressing that “he (Manoj) has saved Tahir, he alone will save you too".
But AAP has delinked itself from Tahir Hussain…
Yet the AAP has given a ticket to such a person who gave refuge to Tahir Hussain to hide. People here did not watch the Delhi Riots on TV or read newspapers; people here watched it with their eyes. They know what happened. People here know why he (Manoj Tyagi) got a ticket. They should have given the government’s report card instead.
Final question, do you regret giving the speech in 2020 that many say incited violence?
What’s the point of being in politics if roads are kept closed, our kids can’t go to school, patients can’t go to the hospital, they are robbed of their right to be treated, someone manufactures petrol bombs on roofs, arranges bricks there (a reference to Tahir Hussain who was found with such evidence from roofs) and we keep sitting? Then, why in the first place did we come to politics? I am happy that when the crisis struck, I was not an MLA, nor a postholder of the BJP. But when the crisis came, I was on the roads with people, making demands to open roads. I am glad I did that. According to me, this is what politics should look like.
Location : First Published:January 28, 2025, 12:23 IST
News elections ‘I’m Glad I Did What I Did’: BJP’s Kapil Mishra Recounts 2020 ‘Ultimatum’ To Delhi Police