AAP's "Troll" Jab After BJP MLA Shares 'AI Image' Of Rekha Gupta Attacker
The fallout from the assault on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta deepened today after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA shared an image linking the attacker to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), prompting a fierce counterattack.
The BJP's Delhi MLA Harish Khurana posted a photograph on social media, claiming it showed the attacker, Sakaria Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai, alongside AAP's Gujarat MLA Gopal Italia. Mr Khurana suggested the picture raised questions about whether the attack during Ms Gupta's Jan Sunwai at her Civil Lines residence had political backing.
"What was suspected has happened. The photo with @ArvindKejriwal's close associate @Gopal_Italia says a lot. It clearly seems that the attack on @gupta_rekha ji today is connected to @AamAadmiParty. Will Kejriwal ji explain the truth behind this photo? Kejriwal ji, please explain, 'What is this relationship called?' Amazing," Mr Khurana's post read.
The Gujarat unit of AAP dismissed the photograph as doctored, alleging the BJP had used artificial intelligence tools to manufacture a link.
"This photo is fake and edited. It was created using Artificial Intelligence to malign AAP's image," said Gujarat AAP spokesperson Karan Barot. He pointed to an August 2 Facebook video still accessible on Gopal Italia's page, from which the screenshots had been lifted.
हरीश खुराना जी, आप की ख़ुद की तो किसी ट्रोलर से ज़्यादा इज्जत है नहीं लेकिन ऐसी घटिया हरकत करने से पहले अपने पिताजी मदनलाल जी की इज्जत की तो परवाह कर लेते?
दो रूपिये Per ट्वीट के हिसाब से काम कर रहे भाजपाई छुटभैये से भी निम्न स्तर के आप के कारनामे देखकर स्वर्गीय मदनलाल खुराना… https://t.co/KjeG09XACl
— Gopal Italia (@Gopal_Italia) August 20, 2025
Mr Italia himself launched a sharp attack on Mr Khurana, calling him "a petty troll" and invoking the memory of his late father, BJP stalwart and former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana.
"Harish Khurana ji, you yourself don't have more respect than a troll, but before indulging in such cheap antics, didn't you think about the honour of your father, Madan Lal ji?" Mr Italia said in a social media post. He added: "Seeing your deeds, which are even lower than those of a small-time BJP worker paid two rupees per tweet, would the late Madan Lal Khurana ji be very pleased? What would he be thinking, seeing his son become a petty troll?"
Italia further warned, "My appeal to all media is not to run news based on this petty troll Harish ji's tweet without verifying it. I will be forced to take legal action."
AAP also released the link to the original video, which featured Mr Italia alongside another person, not the man accused of attacking Ms Gupta.
While BJP leaders framed the attack as a conspiracy, AAP MLA Anil Jha suggested the incident was fabricated. "No attack happened. I have known her for a long time now. This is a story, and she got a man to stage-manage this," Mr Jha said.
The Delhi Police confirmed that Sakaria Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai, a Rajkot resident, had been booked for attempt to murder under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The police described him as a "serial offender" with a string of past cases in Gujarat, many of which ended in acquittal.
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