The arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) boss and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the ED in the Excise Policy scam has provided his loyalists with a golden opportunity to re-indulge in theatrics, which has long been Kejriwal’s go-to tactic for getting media attention or deflecting criticism for the corruption and scams his party has engaged in.
While the party workers and leaders have been creating a ruckus and disrupting traffic on the busy roads of Delhi, AAP leader and Delhi cabinet minister Atishi Marlena has taken to X to share a video showing her party worker screaming “shoot me shoot me” as he lies on the road while she quarrels with a police officer for merely performing his duty.
Before we move ahead, it is important to note that the Delhi police have imposed Section 144 in several areas of central Delhi, including DDU Marg where the BJP headquarter and AAP office are located. The police were forced to take action after several AAP leaders and supporters blocked the road and created a ruckus near the BJP headquarters on Friday (March 22), after the court remanded AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in ED’s custody for 6 days in connection with the money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam case.
Today, March 23, Atishi Marlena posted a video. She is seen sitting in the front seat of her car at the beginning of the 3.49-minute video when a police officer pulls over and politely asks her where they’re headed. Despite the fact that the policeman seemed to be very polite and composed, Atishi is seen stepping out of her car, choosing to initiate an unnecessary fight.
Rather than just answering the officer’s direct question, Atishi yells at the officer for intercepting her car. She dramatically asks the cop to accompany them in her vehicle. Just then, another AAP leader gets out of the vehicle grinning and unexpectedly, goes and lies down on the street and starts yelling “shoot me, shoot me”.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) March 23, 2024
Atishi is seen continuously bickering with the police, despite the latter’s best efforts to remain composed. He politely tries to explain that he is just doing his job. Atishi, however, unfazed, keeps shouting and screaming at the cops. She yells and informs the officers that she is going to her house and insists that they accompany her.
At this point, the officer urges Atishi to leave but she keeps screaming and yelling at him. In fact, Atishi becomes so angry that she hurls the water bottle she was holding onto the road and continues shouting at the on-duty police officers.
The officer, looking rather amused by the leaders’ continued antics, proceeds to respond politely until the leader who was until now lying in the middle of the road gets up and starts yelling, “hum aatankvadi hai..hum aatankvadi hai…kyun pucha (are we terrorists… how dare you questioned us)”.
By now the cop seems to get a little irritated, but he tries his best to remain calm and requests the leader to stop yelling and leave. He reminds the AAP leaders that they had given a call to gather at Shaheedi Park to protest against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal despite Section 144 being in place, which is why they were duty-bound to stop the car and ask them where they were going.
After screaming, yelling, and obstructing traffic for several minutes, the AAP leaders ultimately get into the car and drive off.
The most hilarious part of the entire saga, though, was when Atishi Marlena, who for the entirety of the 3.49-minute video was seen acting at an Oscar-caliber level, told the police officers before leaving, “tamasha bana diya hai” (you guys created a scene).
In her subsequent post, Atishi reposted the video and wrote, “Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, Adil Khan and myself were heading peacefully to my residence. After seeing us in the car, @DelhiPolice stopped our car. What kind of a dictatorship is this? Now opposition leaders won’t be allowed in their party office? Now we won’t be allowed to move freely on the streets of Delhi?”
Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, Adil Khan and myself were heading peacefully to my residence. After seeing us in the car, @DelhiPolice stopped our car.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) March 23, 2024
What kind of a dictatorship is this? Now opposition leaders won’t be allowed in their party office? Now we won’t be allowed… https://t.co/1uy6ulCUa5
Undoubtedly, Atishi shared the video in an attempt to win over some sympathy, but her attempts boomeranged when people on social media saw through her antics.
“This lady is dangerous for the society, how cleverly she is trying to play the victim card No wonder why she is in Kejriwal’s team. Whole party is like a drama company. Thanks god people are understanding their lie and drama. No more vote for Kattar Corrupt Party. SHAME ON CARRYMINATI #SunitaKejriwal#ArvindKejriwal,” wrote X user @PhogatFilms, quipping how the AAP leader outperformed the famous comedian Ajey Nagar, better known as CarryMinati.
This lady is dangerous for the society, how cleverly she is trying to play the victim card😡
— Sandeep Phogat (Modi Ka Parivar) (@PhogatFilms) March 23, 2024
No wonder why she is in Kejriwal’s team.
Whole party is like a drama company.
Thanks god people are understanding their lie and drama.
No more vote for Kattar Corrupt Party.
SHAME ON…
Another social media user remarked that all this drama was being staged to get their hands on the Delhi CM’s chair, which will fall vacant with Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.
मतलब 5 आदमी अब धरने वाले साथ में चाहिए और बैठने के लिए बोला, ये तो लेट गए और चिल्ला रहे गोली मारो- गोली मारो🤣
— Praveen Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@merabundelkhand) March 23, 2024
अच्छी नौटंकी है मुख्यमंत्री बनने के लिए 🤣
“Video clearly shows how well trained you are in drama . Police is not doing anything and you are telling them “ Goli Maro Goli Maro”. Lots of respect to @DelhiPolice for showing patience & handling situation creates purposely by you in humble way,” remarked another X user Vikram Pratap Singh.
Video clearly shows how well trained you are in drama . Police is not doing anything and you are telling them “ Goli Maro Goli Maro”. Lots of respect to @DelhiPolice for showing patience & handling situation creates purposely by you in humble way .
— Vikram Pratap Singh (@VIKRAMPRATAPSIN) March 23, 2024
“It’s really amazing how @ArvindKejriwal has hand picked drama artists. I love the entertainment tbh,” wrote another amused X user.
It's really amazing how @ArvindKejriwal has hand picked drama artists. I love the entertainment tbh. ❤️❤️
— Kaptain Kool 👻 (@dhavalmshah) March 23, 2024
Interestingly prior to this splendid performance on the streets of Delhi, Atishi Marlena claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party’s head office was sealed, and the party would approach the Election Commission. Atishi, in a post on X, said the move, which comes just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha election, was against the “level playing field” promised in the Constitution.
Aam Aadmi Party office has been sealed off from all sides. How can access to a national party office be stopped during the Lok Sabha election? This against the ‘level playing field’ promised in the Indian Constitution.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) March 23, 2024
We are seeking time with the Election Commission to… pic.twitter.com/wf9VdittvW
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also claimed that the Centre had closed all access to the AAP head office at ITO, which lies in the heart of Delhi.
On Friday, several workers and leaders protested outside the BJP headquarters in opposition to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest causing the AAP office to also be blocked. The BJP headquarters, located in DDU Marg, is just a few metres ahead of it. After the ruckus in central Delhi, where Section 144 has been imposed, Delhi police detained Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and several AAP leaders but later released them.
The AAP supremo has been remanded in Enforcement Directorate custody till March 28.
