New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Workers of the Aam Aadmi Party staged protests here on Wednesday, accusing the BJP of disrespecting the Purvanchali community following comments of the saffron party's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla targeting a leader of the ruling party in Delhi.

Party workers along with members of the Purvanchali community held demonstrations in all 70 Assembly segments of Delhi, raising slogans and burning effigies to express their anger. They also demanded an apology from the BJP.

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In a heated discussion during a news channel debate on Wednesday, Poonawalla played on AAP MLA Rituraj Jha's surname to take a jibe at him, a remark slammed as abusive by Delhi's ruling party. His swipe had come after Jha played with the BJP spokesperson's surname to take a dig at him.

The BJP leader has insisted that he never abused anyone and accused the AAP of spreading "lies" and his character assassination.

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Jha said, "Shehzad Poonawalla's abusive remarks targeted me because I belong to the Maithili-Brahmin community of Purvanchal. This is part of the BJP's habit of disrespecting the community."

Addressing the media, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh condemned the BJP for its "anti-Purvanchali" stance.

"This is not the first time the BJP has insulted the Purvanchali community. From labelling them as 'Bangladeshis' and 'Rohingyas' to openly abusing them on public platforms, their behaviour has been consistent. This time, the community will avenge this insult through their votes," he said.

"The BJP will face the consequences of their actions at the ballot box. The Purvanchali community will ensure Arvind Kejriwal's return as chief minister," Singh added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)