Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched another attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, calling their 10-year rule in Delhi has proved to be an “AapDa” ( "disaster.") Addressing the 'Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan' at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Shah alleged that the toilet in Kejriwal's so-called "Sheesh Mahal" (glass palace) was more expensive than the slums in the city. Shah charged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has proved to be an "Aapda" (disaster) in its 10 years of rule in Delhi. He slammed AAP supremo and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly betraying the slum dwellers and forcing them to live in pathetic conditions in slums.
Reiterating that no ongoing welfare schemes for poor will be stopped if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, the Union Minister said “Slum dwellers will become "liberators" of Delhi by uprooting the "Aapda" (AAP) government in the upcoming Assembly polls and promised that every slum dweller will be provided a house if the BJP wins the polls. "The BJP will ensure pucca houses for every slum dweller," he said.
Shah said, "People living in slums of Delhi are getting dirty water. What did Arvind Kejriwal do in Delhi in the last 10 years? If you are not able to do anything, Arvind Kejriwal, then you should leave the government. The BJP will give all the benefits. Arvind Kejriwal is the only CM who did not resign even after going to jail."
The Union Minister accused AAP of betraying slum dwellers and forcing them to live in deplorable conditions. "The slum dwellers will become the liberators of Delhi and do the work of uprooting the AAP-da (disaster) government," Shah asserted.
Promising housing and improved living conditions, he emphasised that the BJP’s manifesto is a "guarantee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." He stated, "Every person living in a slum will be given a permanent house. The BJP manifesto is not like the manifesto of AAP-da. We do what we say."
In a sharp critique of Kejriwal's governance, Shah added, "Open a tap, and dirty water comes out; open a window, and there's a foul smell; step outside, and you're greeted by broken roads. Even during Chhath Puja, people couldn’t bathe properly because of the polluted Yamuna. Garbage heaps on the streets and filth everywhere—this AAP-da has turned Delhi into a living hell."
The elections for 70-member Delhi Assembly polls will be held on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8. Shah greeted the gathering on the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla's idol at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with a loud chant of "Jai Shri Ram".
" When our manifesto comes, it will address every pain you face. The BJP’s manifesto is not like that of the AAP, where they take votes and return after five years with new false promises. The BJP’s manifesto is Modi’s guarantee, and it will be fulfilled on the ground. When we talked of Ram Temple, Kejriwal said toilets need to be constructed, when Article 370 was scraped, he said people need houses. Modi ji gave toilets as well as houses to the poor people, not Kejriwal," Shah said. He said the BJP's Delhi election manifesto will provide "relief from all your problems".
The senior BJP leader lashed out at Kejriwal over his claim, earlier in the day, that the BJP had finalised its leader Ramesh Bidhuri as the chief ministerial face of the party for the Delhi polls. "Can Kejriwal decide the BJP's chief ministerial face?" he said, adding that the AAP supremo's "manipulations" were understood by Delhi people. "Lies, betrayal and going back on promises," are the qualities of Kejriwal, Shah said, accusing the AAP leader of building a "Sheesh Mahal" instead of toilets in Delhi's slum clusters. Referring to Kejriwal's political journey, Shah said, "Those who once led an anti-corruption movement have now committed such massive corruption that they've broken all records. Kejriwal himself has become a disaster for his own party."
"Congress and 'AAP-da' cannot benefit the people of Delhi. Only the BJP can benefit them... They are making promises every day just for the sake of the vote bank. Can Arvind Kejriwal declare the CM face of BJP?... After the formation of the BJP government in Delhi, not a single welfare scheme for the poor will be stopped," he said
"I want to reiterate what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier that no welfare schemes for the poor will be stopped," he said, accusing Kejriwal of spreading "lies" that the BJP will demolish the city's slums of it came to power. While the prime minister gave the poor houses, ration, cheap medicines, loans, and cooking gas, Kejriwal did nothing for them in Delhi, he said.
Around 1000 slum cluster leaders attended the event, which was welcomed by Delhi BJP’s Election Incharge, MP Baijayant Panda; Co-Incharge, National Secretary Dr. Alka Gurjar, MP Atul Garg, State President Virendra Sachdeva, along with MPs Manoj Tiwari, Ramveer Singh Bidhuri, Yogendra Chandla, Kamaljeet Sahrawat, Praveen Khandelwal, and Sushri Bansuri Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, National Media Co-Incharge Sanjay Mayukh, and Organizing Secretary Vishnu Mittal.
Hoping to make a comeback in the national capital where it where it was out of power for over 25 years, Delhi BJP launched the "Jhuggi Sampark Abhiyan" (slum outreach campaign) in the city on June 21 last year. Over 250 "vistaraks" (outreach workers), including 53 women, were deployed for approximately 1,000 booths in Delhi's slum clusters. Each outreach worker was assigned the responsibility of two to three booths. The party tasked with maintaining daily contact with the people at the booths strengthening the BJP's connection with them.
