Amanatullah Khan Denies Pushing Manoj Tiwari At Signature Bridge Inauguration

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan denied allegations of pushing Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Manoj Tiwari to the inauguration ceremony of the Signature Bridge here on Sunday.

Khan told ANI, "When he (Tiwari) was trying to climb the stage, I stopped him, I did not push him. It was obvious from his actions that if he was successful in climbing the stage he would have misbehaved or attacked the Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) and Deputy Chief Minister (Manish Sisodia)."

The AAP leader further asserted that Tiwari was not invited to the inauguration ceremony.

Khan added, "Manoj Tiwari was not invited to the inauguration of Signature Bridge still he came there with his supporters. They tore our posters and hoardings, showed black flags and attacked our workers. When Arvind Ji arrived, they came near the stage but police did not stop them."

Meanwhile, Tiwari claimed that the entire incident took place in front of Kejriwal, adding that he is going to file an FIR over the incident.

"Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan pushed me (during the inauguration of Delhi's Signature Bridge), the whole incident took place in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister. I am going to file an FIR over the incident. Khan's bail should be cancelled immediately," he told ANI.

Earlier, the Delhi BJP chief had alleged that he was stopped by the police and AAP supporters from attending the event.

Ahead of the inauguration of the Signature Bridge over the Yamuna, BJP and AAP activists clashed with each other, with Tiwari attacking AAP workers and punching a policeman who intervened.

Following the incident, Tiwari, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) from North East Delhi, had said that the police officers, who prevented him from attending the event have been identified, threatened to "teach all of them a lesson" within four days.

Tiwari got into a scuffle with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers before the function started at the bridge, leading to the violence.'

Why is the Signature Bridge so important for optics of Delhi politics?

The bridge, built over the Yamuna River, is  the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India.

The bridge also includes a glass-steel observation deck at the top of the bride, although it will not be available for public use for at least another three months, according to media reports. The deck offers a panoramic view of the city.

The project was announced in 2004, although a number of delays and budget modifications led to the project being delayed several times.

ANI