The recently elected national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) JP Nadda on Monday accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of “supporting those who want to break India”, as he raised the issue of AAP government not giving police the permission to prosecute ex-JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a sedition case.

Nadda  also raised question “whether acting against anti-nationals would hurt” AAP national convener Kejriwal’s vote bank?”

The BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP took to Twitter and wrote,”Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and other anti-India forces raised seditious slogans like ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’ in JNU. They were threatening to violate India’s sovereignty. Law enforcement agencies moved in, investigated the matter and in Jan 2019 were ready to file chargesheet.”

Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and other anti-India forces raised seditious slogans like ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’ in JNU. They were threatening to violate India’s sovereignty. Law enforcement agencies moved in, investigated the matter and in Jan 2019 were ready to file chargesheet.

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 27, 2020

“They (police) sought Kejriwal’s permission to prosecute this ‘tukde tukde’ gang but one year later, till yesterday, no permission was granted. Kejriwal must tell Delhi why is he supporting those who want to break India? Is it because acting against these anti-nationals will hurt his vote bank,” he further wrote on the microblogging site.

They sought Kejriwal’s permission to prosecute this tukde tukde gang but one year later, till y’day, no permission was granted. Kejriwal must tell Delhi why is he supporting those who want to break India? Is it because acting against these anti-nationals will hurt his vote bank?

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 27, 2020

In its campaign for the assembly polls in the national capital, the BJP has often raised the issue of the AAP government so far not grating the Delhi Police its nod to prosecute the accused in the case of raising seditious slogans in the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Speaking at a press conference in September last year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the state government has not yet taken any decision on the prosecution sanction against former JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 JNU sedition case.

However, Kejriwal said the Delhi government’s home department will take the appropriate decision after taking all facts into consideration. There will be no political interference in the case, the chief minister asserted.

Delhi police on January 14 last year, had filed a 1,200-page chargesheet against Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly holding an “anti-national” event at the JNU in Delhi in February 2016.

Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven students from Jammu and Kashmir, Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Bashir Bhat and Basharat, were also named in the chargesheet.

The students were accused of organising an event on the campus against the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. Their arrests had triggered a huge controversy with the opposition slamming the police for “working at the behest of the ruling BJP.”

Both Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid have said the case against them was “politically motivated,” and the video showing them leading a procession and supported seditious slogans were doctored and circulated in order to implicate them in the case.

A Delhi court has directed the police to get the requisite nod by February 19.

The Delhi Assembly Election will be a triangular fight involving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Polling will be held on February 8 and the results declared on February 11.