Delhi Assembly polls: Double engine versus corruption, says Amit Shah slamming AAP

Countering the charges, the AAP accused the BJP of lacking any vision or agenda for Delhi, and accused it of only abusing AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

Addressing a public meeting in Narela ahead of the February 5 elections in Delhi, Shah said, “Yeh Aam Aadmi Party, iska matlab… Avaidh Aamdani wali Party… Dilli ke paise se Punjab ka chunaav ladte hain, Dilli se kamaye huye paison se Gujarat ka chunaav ladne jaate hain, Dilli ke kamaye huye paison se who Goa ka chunaav ladne jaate hain…(This Aam Aadmi Party, it now means the party with illegal income. They fight elections in Punjab using Delhi’s money, travel to Gujarat for elections with money earned from Delhi, they fight elections in Goa with money earned from Delhi).”

Underlining that the BJP will keep its promises, he said, “I promise that a cheque of Rs 2,500 will be sent to the accounts of every mother and sister every month before the 5th. Every pregnant woman will get Rs 21,000 in financial assistance, 6 nutrition kits; one free gas cylinder for each woman for Holi and Diwali; and free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh will be passed in the first Cabinet meeting.”

According to BJP insiders, the effective communication of the party’s decision to continue existing welfare schemes such as subsidized power, water and travel aboard public buses for women, among others, to voters along with communicating the achievements of the BJP-led government at the Centre had been at the core of its initial campaign.

In the 2020 elections, the BJP had announced that welfare schemes benefitting the people of Delhi would continue but had not dedicated more than a few lines regarding this “commitment” in its manifesto. This was a significant factor around which, sources said, the BJP has sought to model its strategy this time around.

“During the first phase — around the time of the announcement of candidates in mid-December — the party’s focus was on pitching the Centre’s achievements, especially in relation to infrastructural development in Delhi; now it has moved a step beyond to seeking the people’s trust in the delivery of promises, which are being pitched as Modi’s guarantees,” a senior leader said.

“After the PM’s rally in Rohini, where he himself announced that the existing schemes would continue, the NDA’s candidates have been pitching this assurance along with promises from each of the three parts of the manifesto through a guarantee card, countering the AAP’s propaganda that the welfare schemes will be shut down if we come to power.”

At the public meeting, Shah expressed hope that the people of Delhi “will be freed from ‘AAP-da’ (disaster)”, and said “Kejriwal’s misrule will come to an end on February 8 (results day)”.

Accusing Kejriwal of failing to deliver on his promises, Shah said, “In the past 10 years, while many states have progressed under the double engine government led by Modi ji, Delhi has struggled with waterlogging, contaminated water, uncollected garbage, dry parks and gardens, and a lack of facilities in hospitals. Clean drinking water is unavailable, the condition of schools is poor, and the Mohalla Clinics are of no us.”

“Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have worked to ruin the youth, engaged in corruption worth thousands of crores, and in the end, both big and small miyas went to jail,” he said. “For the Sheesh Mahal, he (Kejriwal) illegally demolished four bungalows and began construction…

His corruption is so widespread that even if I take his name in a public meeting for a week, the list of his corruption will never end. ”
On the other hand, he said, “Modi ji says what he does….”

Hitting back, the AAP said, “Their focus is solely on abusing Arvind Kejriwal, not on Delhi’s development… The BJP neither has a plan nor a vision for Delhi. If they can’t create their own, why not replicate the facilities Arvind Kejriwal is providing?… Amit Shah must answer: What has the BJP done in the last decade to improve Delhi’s crumbling law and order? The one job they had—ensuring security—has been an outright failure under Amit Shah’s watch.”