Atishi-Gautam Gambhir row: Newspaper vendor says was paid to insert 300 pamphlets

Two days after Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) East Delhi candidate Atishi accused cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir of creating and distributing a pamphlet containing sexist attacks and derogatory comments, a newspaper vendor revealed to a media organisation that he had reportedly been paid to insert 300 such pamphlets inside newspapers distributed in Yojana Vihar and Savita Vihar.

Revealing the shocking contents of the pamphlet, the AAP leader broke down in tears during a press conference. Amid the ongoing blame game between the AAP and the BJP, Gambhir has denied any connection with the pamphlet and attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP, demanding an "unconditional apology" and vowing to quit politics if he is found guilty of creating the pamphlet.

The newspaper vendor east Delhi's Yojana Vihar area has said that he received 300 of the pamphlets from another vendor on Thursday morning. His employees then distributed them to homes across A and C blocks, Yojana Vihar, and some houses in Savita Vihar, reports Indian Express.

Confirming that he received Rs 15 per 100 pamphlets, the vendor said that the pamphlets were given to a few vendors at B block Vivek Vihar to allegedly distribute them.

The general secretary of the Newspaper Vendor Association Ramakant has denied giving the pamphlets to newspaper vendors.

Since BJP gave the former cricketer a ticket to contest the 2019 general election, both AAP and Gambhir have engaged each other in an increasingly explosive war of words. AAP has sent legal notice to the BJP east Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir for distributing the pamphlet containing derogatory remarks against Atishi.

Seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi, which are all currently held by the BJP, vote on Sunday, May 12, as part of the sixth phase of the seven-phased national election. The counting of votes and results will be declared on May 23.