The Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate from East Delhi, Atishi, on Thursday broke down while reading out from a pamphlet and accused her BJP rival Gautam Gambhir of distributing the leaflets with “obscene and derogatory” remarks about her.

While the cricketer turned-politician denied Atishi’s allegation, the BJP accused the ruling AAP of staging such incidents.

Atishi alleged that BJP workers distributed the pamphlets at housing complexes. “I had welcomed Gambhir myself when he joined politics but I never imagined he would stoop to this level,” the AAP nominee, who was accompanied by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia during a media conference, said.

“If he is doing this against one woman, what about the lakhs of women in east Delhi who are worried about their safety.”

Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal slammed the former cricketer for his actions.

Gambhir, in a series of tweets, said he was “ashamed” to have Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister and would withdraw his candidature if the charge against him were proved. He also said he would file a defamation case against AAP leaders.

“You can’t tarnish someone’s image without proof.

I have never given a negative statement against no Opposition candidate in my election campaigning,” he said in a media statement.

The BJP too denied the allegation. “The BJP has nothing to do with the alleged pamphlets. AAP has no character and its notoriety about stage-managing such things is well known,” said Nvon Kumar, the BJP’s media in-charge, East Delhi.