On a day when the Capital witnessed hectic campaigning by stalwarts of different political parties ahead of the December 4 Assembly polls, the BJP’s chief campaigner Narendra Modi outshone his political rivals.
During the back-to-back rallies in the city on Saturday, Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress-led Governments at the Centre and Delhi. He also promised Delhiites a respectable living, better job opportunities and people-friendly governance if the BJP was voted to power. The debutant Aam Aadmi Party was also not spared as BJP’s prime ministerial hopeful termed them opportunists who betrayed Anna Hazare and a noble anti-corruption movement for their personal gains.
Modi touched upon a host of local issues ‘plaguing’ the Capital while he travelled across the length and breadth of Delhi holding three rallies in Shahdara, Sultanpuri and Chandni Chowk respectively. Addressing the gathering of thousands at each of the three venues, Modi tore into Delhi Government’s claims of developments during the last 15 years as he also attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, saying they have ruined the country with their ‘bookish knowledge’.
Taking a dig Modi said: “Our PM is a big economist. We never questioned that. Finance Minister is also very educated. We never challenged that…. But the two leaders with their bookish knowledge have destroyed the country,” he said.
“They (Singh and Chidambaram) say we don’t want to learn economics from Modi, but you should have at least learnt from Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Then you would have understood how to run the country. Both were not considered economists, but the two great leaders were aware of the country’s problems,” Modi said.
later, Modi took a jibe at Chidambaram on his Twitter handle, saying, “Economy is in trouble, youth want jobs. Devote more time to economics not petty politics. Chidambaramji, please focus on the job at hand!” Modi went on to say that the country in general and Delhi in particular were ‘polio-stricken’ and said the Capital needed a healing touch from Dr Harsh Vardhan who is credited with making the country polio-free with his innovative Pulse Polio Program.
“The Congress and its leaders are habitually corrupt. The Government and the country are polio-stricken. The country needs to be freed from the Congress,” Modi said.
As Modi moved from one part of the city to the other, he modulated the focus of his speech, though his tone and tenor remained unchanged. Besides, the perennial issues of water and power tariff, shortage of water, poor infrastructure in rural areas too found mention in all his speeches. He lamented that the Delhi Government enacted separate laws for every basic amenity; yet failed to fulfill its promises.
“The Delhi Government has failed to provide water to its residents. On the other hand, the water tanker mafia is flourishing in the Capital under the patronage of the Government,” he alleged. He also accused the Congress of forming wrong economic policies and floating social welfare schemes that led to large-scale migration to the metropolis from other Indian States. Obliquely referring to the snooping scandal involving illegal surveillance of a woman, Modi said Congress had earlier resorted to such ‘tricks’ to malign his image but the people of Gujarat have always given a befitting reply to such tactics.
Modi also said in its attempt to target him, it has become a habit for Congress leaders to pose questions to the Gujarat Government on every issue. “Ye chalan ho gaya hai ki chunav Delhi aur Rajasthan mein hai, lekin jawab Gujarat ki sarkaar se maang rahe hain,” he said. Attacking Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit over price rise he said: “A Congress Minister says that the Government’s job is not to sell vegetables. But see what Dikshit is doing now. Isn’t she selling onionsIJ I am surprised that despite the code of conduct, why did the Election Commission help herIJ”