A protest by women volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took place outside the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Parvesh Verma on Saturday.
The protestors gathered to demand Rs 1100, as part of allegations that Verma was involved in distributing money to voters in the New Delhi assembly constituency.
In a rather unique response, Verma greeted the protestors with tea, coffee, and biscuits, standing in front of them with a welcoming gesture. Speaking to the media, Verma expressed that he would always respect visitors, especially those who braved the cold weather.
"The sisters who came to meet me have come to my house in this cold. If someone comes to my house, I will respect them. My wife, daughter, and I have brought tea and coffee for them," Verma said.
Verma also used the opportunity to address women voters of the New Delhi constituency, urging them to make sure they had their Ladli Yojna cards. "Anyone who doesn’t have a card made, they can come to my house and get the card made.
If you are a voter of New Delhi Vidhan Sabha, come now... get the card made right away," he continued, assuring that the process would be swift and without delays.
The protest follows claims made by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who accused the BJP of bribing voters in the same constituency, where AAP's Arvind Kejriwal is contesting in the upcoming elections.
Atishi alleged that Verma was caught distributing money at his official residence, which she referred to as an attempt to influence the electorate.
On December 25, Atishi had accused the BJP of distributing money to voters, allegedly in exchange for their support. She claimed that Verma had been "caught red-handed" giving out money at his official residence.
Atishi further stated that women from various slums in the New Delhi constituency were called to Verma's residence and given Rs 1,100 each in an envelope.
In addition, Atishi raised concerns about the possibility of larger sums of money being stored at Verma’s residence. She urged the Election Commission to take swift action and instruct the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Delhi Police to raid Verma’s official residence.
Atishi claimed that this was part of a larger scheme to secure a victory in what she described as a "lost election" for the BJP.
“I want to inform the ED and CBI that cash worth crores of rupees is still at Parvesh Verma’s house. I urge the Election Commission to have the ED and Delhi Police raid his official residence and arrest him immediately,” Atishi stated.
She also highlighted that the pamphlet used for distributing money bore the images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda, which, according to her, indicated the party’s involvement.
This allegation has added fuel to the ongoing political rivalry between the AAP and BJP in Delhi, with the elections expected to take place in early 2025. In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP secured a resounding victory, winning 62 out of the 70 seats, while the BJP managed to win just eight seats.
The controversy also follows public notices issued by the Department of Women and Child Development, which dismissed the Mahila Samman Yojana as a “non-existent” scheme.
The department made it clear that no such initiative had been officially notified, raising questions about the authenticity of the scheme and its potential role in the alleged voter bribery.
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