New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has coined a new slogan for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, taking a dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): “Aapada ko hataana hai, BJP ko laana hai (must eliminate the disaster and bring in BJP)”.
Delhi has been suffering from a “disaster” for the last 10 years, but this year will usher in “new politics of nation-building and people’s welfare”, he said.
Modi launched a scathing attack on the former Delhi chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, saying, “I, too, could have built a Sheesh Mahal for myself, but my dream was to provide pucca houses for my fellow countrymen.”
The “Sheesh Mahal” allegations pertain to the alleged use of “extravagant luxurious items” to renovate the official bungalow occupied by Kejriwal in his capacity as the Delhi chief minister.
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Addressing a public meet after launching a slew of projects in Delhi Friday, Modi hit out at the AAP-led Delhi government and said that the situation in the national capital would worsen if AAP’s reign continued.
“Bharat knows that Modi has never built a house for himself, but over the past 10 years, he has fulfilled the dreams of more than four crore people,” the prime minister added. “I urge all of you, whenever you interact and meet with slum dwellers, to assure them on my behalf that they will definitely get pucca houses. If not today, then tomorrow!”
Modi referred to Kejriwal without taking his name and said that by keeping Anna Hazare on the front, some “kattar beimaan (staunchly dishonest)” people have pushed the national capital towards the “aapada (disaster)”.
The prime minister was speaking at an event to hand over the keys of newly constructed flats to the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters under the in-situ slum rehabilitation project at Swabhiman Apartments in Delhi’s Ashok Vihar.
“Ye log Delhi ke vikas ki baat karte the, lekin ye log aapada ban kar Delhi mai toot pade hain. Ye AAP, ye aapada Delhi pe aayi hai aur isliye Delhi waalon ne aapda ke virudhh jung ched di hai (these people used to talk about Delhi’s development, but they have turned to be a disaster. Therefore, the people of Delhi have waged a war against it),” Modi said.
The prime minister also mentioned the alleged liquor scam, the “failed” education system, and the pollution problem, among other issues. “These people openly engage in corruption and even celebrate it,” he alleged.
He said that the Centre led by the BJP has been making a lot of efforts to ensure development of the national capital, and that despite the implementation of the Ayushman scheme across the country, the people of Delhi have been unable to access the benefits as the “Aapada” government is their enemy.
The school system has also been harmed tremendously by the AAP government over the last 10 years, he added.
A large section of slum-dwellers are known to support AAP and BJP has been trying to reach out to them with a host of initiatives. Modi handing out the keys to 1,675 Swabhiman flats built by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Friday was part of that.
“Confident” that the move would help the party connect with slum-dwellers, the Delhi BJP unit has been conducting a door-to-door exercise in the locality, publicising the inauguration of the flats.
Out of power in Delhi since 1998, the BJP sees the upcoming election as an opportunity to seize the reins.
The PM also hit out at the AAP government over its failure to clean the Yamuna river.
“Every person of Delhi can see the situation of Yamuna. Look at their (AAP’s) shamelessness, what kind of aapada is this? They say cleaning Yamuna won’t get them votes. Will you leave Yamuna like this if it doesn’t get you votes? This aapada has given the lives of the people of Delhi in the hands of tanker mafia.”
Also Read: Kejriwal promises Rs 18,000 stipend for pujaris & granthis, warns: ‘obstructing it would be sin’
