BJP Minister Ashish Sood slams Kejriwal, accuses AAP of "shoot-and-scoot" politics

New Delhi [India], January 6 (ANI): BJP minister Ashish Sood, in response to the allegations of the deployment of Delhi government teachers for counting stray dogs by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), held a press conference on Tuesday. 

Lodging a scathing attack on AAP National Convenor and former Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP leader accused him of indulging in "shoot-and-scoot" politics. 

During the press conference, he showed a letter addressed to Arvind Kejriwal. He said the BJP will no longer allow "irresponsible behaviour and the politics of shoot and scoot" to prevail in Delhi. He even alleged that the AAP National Convenor was pursuing a politics of "indecency" to maintain his relevance. 

He said, "I have written to AAP National Convenor & former CM of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, on his allegations of deployment of  Delhi govt teachers for counting of stray dogs. We will not let the irresponsible behaviour and the politics of the shoot-and-scoot of Arvind Kejriwal and his party prevail in Delhi. He is trying to run the politics of indecency in the capital for maintaining his relevance."

He also claimed that the letter was written with "utmost decency", and then he read what he wrote. He dictated, "Given your background in administration as a former chief minister, your statement cannot be regarded as a mere misunderstanding. Instead, it appears to be part of a deliberate attempt to derail the smooth implementation of a critical safety initiative. Unfortunately, such conduct reflects a continuous pattern, wherein the Aam Aadmi Party indulges in what can be best described as shoot and scoot political making unfounded allegations, creating sensation and then retreating from responsibility."

In the letter, he alleged that Arvind Kejriwal's statements are a "deliberate" attempt to derail the smooth implementation of a critical safety initiative. He further claimed that he, alongwith BJP Minister Kapil Mishra, had already mentioned that the government was ready for a discussion on the issue of pollution, with time allotted for its discussion in Vidhan Sabha. 

He said, "AAP Party yesterday said that the government is running away from discussion on pollution. Alongwith me, Kapil Mishra said that the government will discuss pollution. It has been mentioned in the timetable of Vidhan Sabha as well."

Thus, he demanded that the AAP National Convenor apologise to the citizens of Delhi, alleging that the former chief minister was lying. The minister took a jibe at Kejriwal, saying that if the AAP leader asks for forgiveness, the Delhi government has a "big heart" and will forgive him without filing a defamation lawsuit. 

He said, "Everywhere he lies and runs away. Now, we won't let him run away; he has to ask for forgiveness from the citizens of Delhi. You have to take responsibility for your lies. He has already asked for forgiveness from Delhi residents, so he must ask again. And the Delhi government, with a big heart, will forgive him. Earlier, he also falsely accused people. In defamation cases, he asked for forgiveness, and we will forgive him without any defamation case."

Former Chief Minister of Delhi and National Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, on December 30, condemned the BJP-led state government for allegedly requesting all educational institutions, schools and stadiums to nominate Nodal Officers in matters related to stray dogs and report on the same.

In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "Will teachers in Delhi's government schools teach children, or will they count dogs on the streets instead?"

He further launched an attack on the BJP government for "insulting teachers" through the order.

"This order from the BJP's Delhi government exposes their thinking and priorities. For the BJP, education is not even an issue; these people are insulting teachers and ruining schools," Kejriwal wrote.

दिल्ली में सरकारी स्कूलों के शिक्षक बच्चों को पढ़ाएँगे या फिर सड़कों पर कुत्ते गिनेंगे?

भाजपा की दिल्ली सरकार का ये आदेश उनकी सोच और प्राथमिकताओं को बेनकाब करता है।

भाजपा के लिए शिक्षा कोई मुद्दा ही नहीं है, ये लोग शिक्षकों को अपमानित कर रहे हैं, स्कूलों को बर्बाद कर रहे हैं।… https://t.co/1q4J4F0oQH

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 30, 2025

Moreover, Kejriwal glorified the AAP government's reign in Delhi over the ruling BJP government, saying that "AAP respected teachers while the BJP is bent on destroying everything."

Kejriwal wrote, "When our government was in Delhi, we respected teachers, removed unnecessary burdens from them, and made children's education the topmost priority. We sent teachers abroad for training and improved the schools. Today, the BJP government is bent on destroying everything."

The AAP convenor made the post in response to AAP's Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj's post, in which he shared a copy of the order and captioned it, "The BJP government issues absurd orders every day, see now the responsibility of stray dogs has been placed on teachers."(ANI)