New Delhi, March 19 – Following a brief commotion at a condolence meeting, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Virendra Sachdeva said on Thursday that since the fire broke out in the Palam area, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been trying to politicize the incident by assaulting a BJP MLA who was attending a prayer meeting and blaming the fire department.
Sachdeva added that it is unfortunate that Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj have been blaming the fire department to divert attention from the core issue of the illegal storage of flammable materials.
"During Thursday's condolence meeting, AAP leader Bhardwaj himself attempted to disrupt the atmosphere by misbehaving and assaulting BJP MLA Kuldeep Solanki," the Delhi BJP President said.
He criticized the AAP leader and his supporters for causing a commotion at the meeting and trying to politicize the tragic deaths.
The Delhi BJP President said that, in addition to ordering a magistrate inquiry, the concerned minister in the Delhi government has directed a crackdown on unauthorized storage of flammable materials across the national capital, as in this case as well, illegal storage of flammable materials was observed.
Sachdeva added that it has been publicly known through media statements of neighbors and eyewitnesses that the lower floors of the building housed godowns and shops where large quantities of flammable materials were stored.
"These materials caught fire, and within moments, the blaze spread throughout the entire building. Many deaths had already occurred before the fire department arrived," he said.
"It is unfortunate that Arvind Kejriwal and Bhardwaj have been blaming the fire department to divert attention from the core issue of the illegal storage of flammable materials," he added.
"This is a highly necessary step, but AAP leaders are making irrelevant statements to derail the investigation by the concerned Magistrate and local police," Sachdeva said.
According to officials, the fire erupted in a four-storey building where the basement, ground floor, and first floor housed a cloth and cosmetic showroom, while the owner's family resided on the upper floors.
Police and fire department teams rushed to the spot after receiving information about the blaze at around 7:04 a.m.
Rescue teams evacuated several people from the building and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The BJP-led Delhi government has ordered a magisterial probe to determine the cause of the fire and the circumstances that led to the casualties.