Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma on Monday escalated his public exchange with Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged slapping of a young man during a road inspection in west Delhi, rejecting the AAP leader’s criticism and defending his conduct.
Verma said the man involved in Sunday’s incident was not being targeted merely because he belonged to the younger generation. He alleged that the person was an AAP worker with a previous case involving an MCD official and accused Kejriwal of trying to shield him by describing the controversy as an issue involving Gen Z.
“I warn you… you remember me, right?” Verma said in a video message posted on X on Monday, while directly addressing Kejriwal.
The Delhi minister alleged that the person seen in the viral video had an FIR registered against him over an earlier incident involving an MCD official and claimed he had also been arrested in that case. Verma further accused AAP workers of attempting to obstruct government projects and warned that he would not tolerate threats or interference against officials and contractors.
“This Gen-Z drama of yours will not work,” Verma said, adding that any attempt by AAP leaders or workers to obstruct government work or threaten officials would face resistance.
The latest statement came after Kejriwal posted a video criticising the BJP-led Delhi government over the incident. The former Delhi chief minister alleged that Verma had slapped a young man who belonged to Gen Z and demanded that the minister be arrested.
Kejriwal also alleged that the police were protecting Verma and said young people expected accountability and transparency from those in power.
The controversy began on Sunday when a video from a road inspection in west Delhi showed Verma appearing to slap a young man who was filming the proceedings. The incident took place while Verma was inspecting road work in the Vikas Puri-Tilak Nagar area in the presence of AAP MLA Jarnail Singh and other party workers.
Verma has said that the confrontation followed alleged verbal abuse directed at his family by people accompanying Jarnail Singh. The minister also accused the AAP MLA of attempting to interfere with PWD work, while Singh has denied the allegations and said the young man had not abused Verma.
The young man, identified as 22-year-old Sahib Singh, has separately denied abusing the minister. He said he was recording the inspection on the instructions of Jarnail Singh and later submitted a complaint to the police seeking action against Verma.
The dispute has now widened beyond the incident itself, with complaints filed by both sides. A complaint against Jarnail Singh and his associates alleged obstruction of government work, intimidation of officials and damage to public property. Separately, Sahib Singh complained against Verma, alleging that he was threatened and abused during the confrontation. Police are examining the competing complaints.
The incident has triggered a political confrontation between the BJP and AAP, with both sides presenting different accounts of what led to the physical altercation.
