Ahead of heating assembly elections in Delhi next month, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar while citing the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh  on Friday said the people of Delhi need to decide whether they want “Jinnah Wali Azaadi” or “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.

Javadekar also accused the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress of “poisoning” the minds of minorities.

The BJP leadership has sharpened attack on the ruling AAP and Congress over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), ahead of the assembly polls.

“We have seen ‘Jinnah Wali Azadi’ slogan being raised there. Now, Delhi people need to decide if they want ‘Jinnah Wali Azadi’ or ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’,” Mr Javadekar said at a press conference.

He blamed the AAP and Congress for “instigating” violent protests against the CAA in the national capital.

“Delhi people should ask both parties why did they instigate violence. The nexus of AAP and Congress is behind the Shaheen Bagh protest. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia have supported the protest,” Javadekar alleged.

The senior BJP leader further added, “They (AAP and Congress) are misleading and poisoning the minds of the minorities including children.”

Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday claimed that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party was behind engineering riots in the city over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the national capital will be unsafe if they are voted back to power.

He also hit out at Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who told a TV channel that he stood with Shaheen Bagh protesters, and said the AAP has worked to disrupt peace in the city. Shah also hit out at the Congress and said they have opposed every decision of the Modi government abrogation of Article 370, banning triple talaq, building Ram Temple.

Addressing a rally in Matiala in west Delhi, Amit Shah said, “Many a time Rahul baba (Rahul Gandhi) gives a statement. Kejriwal also gives a statement. Immediately, Pakistan prime minister gives a statement.”

“If you see their statements on YouTube, you will find similarity in them. I always think, what is the relation between them. What Rahul baba and Kejriwal say, Imran Khan says the same,” he added. He also accused the two of instigating the youth and minorities in the national capital, which saw a wave of violent protests last month over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Attacking the Aam Aadmi Party, Amit Shah said, “Delhi will not be safe if these people come to power. Those who want to engineer riots have no right to remain in power.”

The protest at Shaheen Bagh started mid-December following a violent anti-CAA protest at Jamia Millia university in the neighbourhood which caught on to JNU as well, getting support from many other universities and students.

A road linking south east Delhi areas to Noida has been blocked due to the protest causing daily hardships to commuters and residents of localities including Badarpur, Sarita Vihar, Madanpur Khadar and Jasola.

CM Kejriwal is seeking re-election from the seat for the third time — having won in 2013 and 2015 with a vote percentage of 53.46 and 64.34 respectively.

In the 2015 polls, AAP secured 67 of the 70 assembly seats. For the upcoming elections, AAP has collaborated with election strategist Prashant Kishor’s consultancy firm I-PAC.

The Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 8 and the counting of votes and the declaration of results will be done on February 11.