In an attempt to discredit a rival candidate, the BJP has dug out an April 2009 video of Jarnail Singh, the AAP candidate from West Delhi, which shows him apologising for hurling a shoe at P Chidambaram, then Union Home Minister.

Singh had done this to protest against the clean chit given by the CBI to Congress leader HKL Bhagat in the 1984 riots case and a Congress ticket to Sajjan Kumar.

BJP leaders said the the video has gone viral on the internet as it “shows the AAP candidate in his true light”.

Though the BJP is not admitting that it had anything to do with the video going viral, many believe that this was done to help the BJP candidate from West Delhi — Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma.

Verma said, “I too have come to know about it (the video going viral). The candidate (Jarnail Singh) secured the ticket from the AAP only because of his claim to fame for throwing a shoe at Chidambaram. In the video, Singh can be seen apologising in an interview for his act.

This is cheating. Like party, like candidate. He is trying to secure Sikh votes by making them feel that he revolted against the Congress.”

In the video, in response to the interviewer’s question of what he feels about the incident, Singh says, “I am feeling apologetic as a journalist… I should not have done that… It was an emotional issue… I read Chidambaram’s statement that he is happy his colleague is exonerated and I lost control over my mind… in the spur of the moment I did that. I have nothing against him. He is doing a fine job.”

While Verma has been projecting himself as a Jat leader, the BJP is trying hard to ensure that it does not lose out on Sikh votes.

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