Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia criticized BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Monday for sharing a misleadingly edited video of former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. The controversy arose after Mr. Tiwari posted a 9-second clip on X (formerly Twitter), where Mr. Kejriwal appeared to say, “Someone was saying that whoever has written the Constitution must be drunk while writing it.” This post followed a heated debate over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks about BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.
Sharing the video, Mr. Tiwari wrote, “This video of Delhi’s AAP head reveals his true colors.” However, Mr. Sisodia countered by posting the full, unedited version of the video, which lasted 19 seconds and was reportedly recorded 12 years ago. In the complete clip, Mr. Kejriwal was referring to the Constitution of the Congress party, not the Indian Constitution. Mr. Kejriwal stated, “The Constitution of Congress party says no worker shall consume liquor. Someone amongst us said the one who wrote the Constitution must have been drunk while writing it.”
Calling out Mr. Tiwari, Mr. Sisodia urged him to stop acting like a “cheap troll” and respect the dignity of his position as an MP. “You are tweeting lies. Have some shame, if not for yourself, then for the office you hold,” he remarked.
In response, Mr. Tiwari accused Mr. Sisodia of crossing lines of decorum. “You got so angry that you called me shameless,” he replied, questioning the context of Mr. Kejriwal’s statement. He argued, “If Congress members wrote their party’s Constitution under the influence of alcohol, how can Mr. Kejriwal generalize it to mean that ‘whoever wrote the Constitution’ did so after drinking? Is there no distinction between the Indian Constitution and Congress’ Constitution?”
This verbal clash comes amidst a larger controversy sparked by Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar during the Winter Session of Parliament. During a Rajya Sabha address commemorating 75 years of the Constitution, Mr. Shah said, “It has become fashionable to repeatedly say Ambedkar’s name. If they invoked God’s name this many times, they would secure a place in heaven.” Opposition parties, including the AAP and Congress, accused Mr. Shah of disrespecting the Dalit icon and demanded an apology or his resignation. Mr. Shah denied these accusations, asserting that his comments were misinterpreted.
