“I haven’t yet visited the relief camp set up by the Delhi government, but I may go there Sunday,” Tiwari said, walking past burnt homes and shops.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari Saturday said that the speech given by BJP’s Kapil Mishra before the northeast riots had no role to play in the incident.

“Itni badi ghatna mein Kapil ke statement ka koi matlab nahi hai (There is no meaning to Kapil’s statement for an incident of this scale). In his statement, he spoke about giving three days (for protesters to vacate the roads), but violence started that day itself,” Tiwari told The Sunday Express.

He was visiting Northeast Delhi’s Shiv Vihar. “I haven’t yet visited the relief camp set up by the Delhi government, but I may go there Sunday,” he said, walking past burnt homes and shops.

Tiwari inspected damaged schools in the area and spoke to residents about what they lost. He claimed, “Rajdhani School was used as a base to launch attacks, and it appears some buildings were equipped… and preparations had been done in advance. I believe there are five points from where violence started — Shiv Vihar, AAP councillor Tahir Hussain’s house, Kardampuri, Chand Bagh, where a protest was on and where DCP Shahdara was beaten up and head constable Rattan Lal was killed, and Noor-e-Ilahi area.”

“I met IB officer Ankit Sharma’s family yesterday. We are providing food packages to those displaced and will ensure their concerns are heard,” said Tiwari, adding that it was his “sense” that both locals and outsiders participated in the riots.