The BJP dubbed the allegation as a ‘drama’ intended to ‘divert’ attention from the ongoing protests demanding payment of dues to the city’s civic bodies.
BJP leaders who staged protests outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence demanding payment of funds due, to the party-ruled municipal corporations, damaged CCTV cameras installed at the CM’s residence on Sunday evening, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged.
Responding to the allegation, North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash, said that BJP’s women councillors "smashed new CCTV cameras, installed by the AAP government, to protect their privacy".
A video of the alleged incident went viral on social media purportedly showing some people gathered outside the CM's residence and one of them smashing a CCTV camera fixed on the boundary wall.
A police complaint in this regard has been filed, government sources said. "The BJP leaders protesting outside chief minister's residence damaged CCTV cameras today," a government source said.
BJP leaders termed the allegation as a "drama" by the AAP to "divert" people's attention from the ongoing indefinite dharna by mayors and other leaders of the party-ruled corporations.
Delhi BJP general secretary Harsh Malhotra said, "There was resentment among the protesting corporation leaders as new CCTV cameras were being fixed close to the spot where women leaders slept during the night. Is not it a breach of privacy of women? Kejriwal government should answer why it wanted to install cameras where female BJP leaders stayed during the dharna.”
The BJP leaders also claimed that three to four cameras covering the protest site outside the chief minister's residence were installed earlier and they did not object to it.
"Dozens of cameras are still installed outside Kejriwal's residence. What was the need to instal more at a place where female leaders are staying. It's nothing but another drama by Kejriwal," charged Delhi BJP vice president Virendra Sachdeva.
"We too don't want to prolong this faceoff, we just want a dialogue with the chief minister, which he is not willing to have. We will not budge from here till then," Prakash said.
The mayors and leaders of three municipal corporations, including women councillors have been staging a dharna outside the chief minister's residence at Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines area for the past one week demanding payment of "dues" amounting to Rs 13,000 crore to the civic bodies.