MCD polls: Excise ‘scam’ to Jain ‘massage’ video, BJP’s Nadda takes swipe at AAP during rally

“The victory (of the BJP) will not be a victory of the candidates, but a victory of people’s rights. Dilli sarkar, jo upar se neeche tak bhrashtachar mein doobi hui hain… it has tried to strangle even the municipal corporation and do injustice to the people of Delhi. The chance to teach such people a lesson comes in the elections,” Nadda said.

He was among a set of senior BJP leaders, which included Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Hardeep Singh Puri, and Chief Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Pushkar Singh Dhami, who held rallies in the city.

“There is talk today about what the Aam Aadmi Party has done… Initially, they said we won’t form a party, they made one. Then he (Kejriwal) said he won’t fight elections, he fought them. He used to say that the Lokpal Bill will be introduced. For how long have we been waiting for the Lokpal Bill? He used to say he will fight the water mafia… school ki baat karne waale log sharab ki ghotale mein aa kar doob gaye (people who talk about schools are now steeped in a liquor scam). A 2% commission became 12%. Their work is that they brought liquor to each area. They talk about model schools, but in the tender, the rate for the classroom and bathroom is the same. These are their big scams,” Nadda said.

Referring to the video of Jain, Nadda said, “Yesterday, you saw on television, how massage was being done. He (Kejriwal) said he won’t give tickets to criminals… but people are now in jail. Jail main isliye hain ki dange karwa rahe hain… along with this, they are wrongly trying to divide society. They talk about garbage, but more than Rs 300 crore has been given to them by the Centre to deal with waste. The only way to teach them a lesson is to give the BJP a victory.”

Nadda’s rally, part of the campaign for BJP candidates contesting from wards 168, 169 and 170, was held on Rathiya Marg in Sangam Vihar, a congested lane where traffic moved slowly all evening on account of the BJP workers who gathered for it. Cut-outs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi dotted the stretch strewn with the party’s flags.

Residents in the area said the AAP’s work in the Delhi government would be factored in while making their choice in the MCD polls. Kuldeep Singh (25), who runs a garment shop on Rathiya Marg, said, “The vote will go to people who have worked, and the AAP has done that. Some of the small roads have been fixed. There is a major water shortage here, but we are hoping that will be fixed soon too.” Vinod Kumar (53), a long-time resident of the area, also pointed to similar work – roads getting better in the past few years and free electricity.

Mukesh Kumar (42), a tailor who works in Sangam Vihar, said, “Waterlogging is an issue in the area when it rains since the drains are not cleared. The water shortage is also severe. Whether it’s the BJP or the AAP that will do better here next time, who can say.”