NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged Delhi BJP members to target winning over 50 per cent of votes in every booth in the upcoming assembly polls, and excoriated the AAP for its “unfulfilled” promises, “fake” announcements and “corruption”. People are openly expressing anger with the AAP government during the party’s campaign, he said, claiming that it is making new announcements every day as it is aware that it is losing ground across the national capital.
In an online interaction with Delhi BJP members, Modi reiterated his “aapda” (disaster) barb against the AAP and asked them to gather photographic and video evidence of the city’s poor roads, sanitation and other problems in their outreach to voters ahead of the February 5 polls. Calling for defeating the AAP, which has been in power since 2015, the prime minister said the BJP will pave the way for fulfilling the resolve of making Delhi the developed capital of a developed India.
He accused the city government of not tabling CAG reports, which reportedly highlight the losses caused to the exchequer by its policies, for the fear of being exposed. The reports will be tabled by the new BJP government, he said, asserting that people have made up their mind to oust the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Modi said the common man is saying, “aapda ko hata kar rahenge. BJP ko laakar rahenge (We will surely remove aapda and bring BJP)”. People are aware of the AAP’s “misdeeds” and BJP workers should continue to highlight the destruction the ruling party has inflicted on the national capital which, he added, lacks an identity of its own unlike several other cities such as Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Noida and Chandigarh. Delhi is still associated with the central government, he said.
With Purvanchali voters emerging as a key voting bloc in the city, the PM accused the AAP of conspiring to push the people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh out of the national capital following the COVID-19 outbreak and alleged that the party is full of hate for them. In the over 75-minute programme, the prime minister interacted with a number of BJP workers and took repeated jibes at the AAP.
When a party worker spoke about the lack of water supply in an area, Modi said “liquor is available but water is not”, a reference to the city government’s now-scrapped excise policy which led to the arrest of several AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, on corruption charges. Modi said he is writing a letter to Delhi voters and asked BJP members to read it out to them.
This “aapda” has engaged in lies and deceit, and city residents have been betrayed by it and the Congress over the last 25 years, he said, claiming that the AAP has surpassed the main opposition party in deceiving people with fake promises. The Congress was in power in Delhi from 1998 to 2013. “They (AAP) have set new records in corruption but have no shame. There is a lot of anger among people against their scams,” he said.
The AAP makes excuses in Delhi but it has not fulfilled its promises in Punjab too, he added. Those born in the last 25 years or those who are in the 35-40 age group have seen nothing but destruction, Modi said, adding that they have lost hope and are in despair. He exuded confidence that the BJP will secure a massive majority due to the hard work of its booth workers.
With the AAP depending on its welfare plank, including sops to women, to clinch a third consecutive win, Modi noted that BJP governments in several states such as Odisha and Maharashtra are successfully running cash assistance schemes for women besides other welfare initiatives. Unlike the AAP, the BJP’s model is based on truth, he said.
The BJP will run a massive campaign to ensure that drinking water reaches everyone once it is voted to power, he said. Slamming Kejriwal, the PM said the “Sheesh Mahal” is an example of the AAP’s deceit and lies. The BJP has dubbed Kejriwal’s official residence as “Sheesh Mahal”, claiming he spent crores on the house.
The prime minister urged BJP members to ensure record polling to surpass the turnout figures of the last 10 years. Without naming Kejriwal, Modi said he promised to clean the Yamuna but is now claiming that cleaning the river does not get votes. The prime minister said the AAP also failed to fulfil its promise of building houses for the poor and noted that the Centre has built thousands of homes for them.
Underscoring the BJP’s commitment to the middle class and improving its ease of living, Modi said the central government has spent a significant amount of money for this, including by building metro and highways. To ensure the middle class enjoys a comfortable standard of living, the government spends significant amounts of money. “We have responded to the aspirations of the middle class in Delhi,” he added.
The prime minister also noted that lakhs of families in Delhi include those of central government employees and pensioners, and asserted that the 8th Pay Commission will change their fate. He said the young population has suffered the most in the past 10 years due to the lack of government assistance, asserting that the BJP will improve the conditions of government schools and implement its agenda for the youth.
