BJP in Delhi seems intent on polarising the electorate along communal lines with yet another leader, party MP Parvesh Verma, making incendiary remarks against anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protestors at Shaheen Bagh a day after Union Minister Anurag Thakur exhorted crowds at a public rally to “kill traitors”.

“Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think and take a decision. They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them. There is a time today, Modi-ji and Amit Shah-ji will not come to save you tomorrow,” BJP’s MP from West Delhi Parvesh Verma told news agency ANI on Tuesday.

This is after Anurag Thakur egged on people at a public rally to “kill the traitors” and the BJP candidate from Model Town Kapil Mishra dubbed the contest between BJP and AAP as an “India-versus-Pakistan match”. Kapil Mishra has already been censured by the Election Commission. The Congress on Tuesday wrote to the EC to take action against Thakur and Pravesh Verma.

EC has, in the meantime, issues show cause notices to both Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma.

Party in-charge of Delhi elections, Union Minister Prakash Javdekar refrained from commenting on this flurry of statements while he focused on how the Centre has contributed to Delhi’s development. “Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tried his level best to block Delhi’s development plans. We are the ones who have worked for the city’s betterment,” said Javdekar while refusing to answer questions on the provocative comments and speeches made by different party leaders.

According to a party leader, the BJP’s campaign has “picked up” owing to anti-CAA protests which have galvanised the party cadre. Although the BJP still does not hope to trounce Kejriwal and AAP in a contest where the Congress seems to have given up the fight, it believes it has improved upon its 2015 performance. The BJP has secured only three seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly in 2015. The party cadre also made much of the arrest on Tuesday of a student activist, Sharjil Imam, who has been accused of making seditious speeches at Shaheen Bagh.

Playing on sentiment

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal took to streets to urge people to “reject those who have come to defeat your son”.

“I am your elder son. I paid your electricity bill so you didn’t have to. I paid your water bill. I arranged for children’s education, medical treatment. And now the BJP says it will get 200 MPs from outside, ten of their chief ministers and god knows how many central leaders to campaign here. Let them come. People of Delhi will vote for their son,” said Kejriwal.

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