Raising serious questions over the credibility of the BJP government’s handling of the controversial video involving Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has flagged the strong possibility of manipulation in the ongoing forensic examination. The AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj has demanded that the forensic report answer one clear and decisive question: whether Atishi uttered the word “Guru” in the video or not.
The AAP Delhi Unit Chief cautioned that the BJP may restrict the forensic findings to merely confirming the identity of the voice, while sidestepping what was actually said, even as contradictions deepen with the Speaker questioning how the video reached the Punjab Police while BJP minister Kapil Mishra himself continues to publicly circulate it. The AAP has also called upon fact-checkers across the country to independently verify and state, without ambiguity, what Atishi is actually saying in the video shared by the BJP minister.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, senior AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “For several days now, the BJP has been trying to push a completely false issue in Delhi. They are shouting this lie loudly so that people start believing it to be true. CM Rekha Gupta is also carrying forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tradition. Anyone who listens to the video should tell us whether there is anything disrespectful said about the word ‘Guru’ in the video being propagated by Kapil Mishra. We have listened to that video a hundred times, and the word ‘Guru’ is not used at all. Such a massive falsification is happening right before our eyes in the country’s capital, and yet no one seems able to speak out.”
The AAP Delhi Unit Chief said it was unacceptable for people to believe something merely because BJP minister Kapil Mishra was saying it. “Just because Kapil Mishra says something, people should accept it, this cannot be right. People like Kapil Mishra and Manjinder Singh Sirsa want to instigate riots. They have no credibility whatsoever,” Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
He explained that a responsible citizen in Jalandhar, Punjab, had complained that the video being played and circulated by Delhi minister Kapil Mishra could incite religious frenzy, and therefore sought an investigation. “On this, Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta is asking how the Punjab Police got the video. When the minister himself has tweeted the video, it is public. Under the IT Act, in cases registered, the video is downloaded and traced from the account where it is found. It is beyond comprehension that Vijender Gupta is asking where the video came from,” he said.
Saurabh Bharadwaj made it clear that the video in question was available on multiple BJP leaders’ social media accounts. “We are not concerned with which video is kept in the Assembly vault. What concerns us, and what concerns the Punjab Police, is which video Kapil Mishra tweeted. The Punjab Police investigated that very video and clearly stated that Atishi did not use the word ‘Guru’ anywhere in it. Now the matter is closed,” he said.
On the issue of jurisdiction, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Anything said on social media creates jurisdiction wherever it is heard. It is surprising that Speaker Vijender Gupta does not know this. The entire BJP government, including CM Rekha Gupta and her ministers, lacks even basic knowledge of the law. What kind of discussions they must be having with IAS and police officers is hard to imagine.”
He explained that jurisdiction means that when something is posted on social media, the place where a person hears it and feels aggrieved is where the cause of action arises. “A person in Jalandhar filed a complaint at the local police station. The police investigated and exposed that the word ‘Guru’ is not present in the video. Now the BJP should explain where that word is. Simply inserting ‘Gurus’ in the subtitle does not forcibly put that word into the video,” he said.
Questioning both Speaker Vijender Gupta and Kapil Mishra, Saurabh Bharadwaj said the public only wanted one clear answer from the forensic examination. “People want to know just one thing from the forensic probe, what exact words did Atishi actually use in the video tweeted by Kapil Mishra. In the name of forensic investigation, the BJP will only try to prove that the voice is Atishi’s. The voice is indeed Atishi’s and it will match, but we know how far the BJP mindset can go,” he said.
He further warned that the forensic report would likely say that the voice in the video was Atishi’s, but would not clarify what words were spoken. “It is being said today itself that a half-baked forensic report is being prepared. We should not get caught in their forensic trap. A forensic investigation is meaningful only if it clearly states what words were actually spoken. Otherwise, such an investigation has no justification at all,” Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
During the press conference, Sanjeev Jha said the BJP had a long record of farziwada (manipulation) and had been exposed repeatedly through fact checks in the past. “I do not understand why the media did not fact-check this time, when it should have. This is a very simple fact check,” he said.
Appealing to the media and independent fact-checkers, Sanjeev Jha said, “They should listen to the video and see whether the word ‘Guru’ is used anywhere. There is neither ‘Guru’ nor ‘Gurus’ in it. BJP leaders have misled people, and the media has also been misled. Media and fact-checkers also have a responsibility to verify facts.”
Sanjeev Jha said it was now predictable what the BJP government would say after the forensic examination. “They will say that Atishi spoke in the Assembly, which is correct. They will say the voice is hers, which is also correct. But they will not say what words were spoken. Two things are already established that Atishi was in the Assembly and the voice is hers. The most important thing is to state clearly what words were spoken. If the forensic report does not clarify this, it will be yet another massive falsification aimed at misleading the people of this country,” he said.
He further said that Kapil Mishra had made false claims by inserting incorrect subtitles and words. “The entire country has seen how riots took place in Delhi and how Kapil Mishra instigated them. It is unfortunate that the police did not even file a chargesheet and he became a minister. In the BJP, those who disturb communal harmony are rewarded in this manner. That is why he continues to make false statements and has now been given a big position,” Jha said.
Expressing hope on behalf of the AAP, Sanjeev Jha said the media would bring out the truth so that people understand the reality. “If the BJP again indulges in falsification, they should be exposed,” he said.
