Delhi polls: Ex-Congress MLA says replacement will lose deposit

NEW DELHI: After being accused of leading a protest that became violent in New Friends’ Colony in December, former Okhla MLA Asif Muhammad Khan is now engaged in a running verbal battle with Parvez Hashmi. The latter has replaced him as Congress nominee for the assembly polls from the Okhla constituency, but forecasts Khan, is sure to “lose his deposit”.
Khan alleged that Hashmi no longer is known to people in the area having shifted his residence but had wrangled the nomination through his proximity to Congress Delhi chief Subhash Chopra.
He said that Hashmi hadn’t been present at the ongoing CAA-NRC protests and so “many young people may have heard his name, but they wouldn’t know him even if he stands in front of them”.
Chopra responded that it was the party which decided to give the ticket to Hashmi. “As such, we have nothing against Khan. Hashmi is a senior leader,” the Delhi Congress unit head said.
Khan had won the 2013 assembly contest for his party, defeating AAP’s Irfanullah, but had lost to AAP’s Amanatullah Khan in 2015. The former MLA claimed that by not giving him a ticket, Congress had missed a chance “to cash in on the emotions of people who see that Kejriwal hasn't supported the protests”.
He disclosed that on January 21, PC Chacko, Congress functionary in-charge of Delhi, called him at 8am and asked him to file his nomination papers as it was the last day. “Two hours later, I was told not to file my papers. I did file as an independent but withdrew later,” Khan said. “Since that day, no one from the Congress high command has contacted me.”
Khan said that changing candidates would help AAP “which has done much”.
Then contradicting himself, he added that the ruling party’s pet schemes had faltered in the constituency. “75% of Okhla does not have running water, so what is the point of giving it for free?” he asked.
He also criticised BJP for trying to cash in on the issue of Shaheen Bagh. “They are not talking of any development, only want to polarise the electorate,” he alleged.