Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally in support of Tarvinder Singh Marwah, the BJP candidate taking on AAP’s Manish Sisodia in Jangpura constituency.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
On the final day of its nearly month-long campaign for the Delhi Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday took on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over issues such as the liquor “scam”, the state of education and roads, the constant tussle with the Centre, and pollution in the Yamuna river.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the attack through a video statement in which he accused the AAP government of “promoting only those students to Class 10 who were guaranteed to clear the Board examination, in order to guard its [government’s] image”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for “making excuses” and “fighting with the Central government” instead of ushering in development as has happened in States with “double-engine” governments.
At a rally in south-east Delhi’s Jangpura, from where AAP’s Manish Sisodia is up against BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah, Mr. Shah said, “Sisodia is the only Education Minister in the country who went to jail in connection with a liquor scam.”
Addressing another rally in south-west Delhi’s Bijwasan, the Union Home Minister alleged that the former Delhi Chief Minister had “committed a sin by accusing the Haryana government of poisoning the Yamuna”.
“Kejriwal used to call himself the son of Haryana. Now he has insulted the State. They [the Delhi government] could not purify the water themselves, so they blamed Haryana and insulted its people,” said Mr. Shah.
‘Time for an NDA govt.’
BJP national president J.P. Nadda, campaigning for Janata Dal (United) candidate Shailendra Kumar in Burari, said, “People have already decided to form an NDA government in Delhi.”
He added, “Teer [the election symbol of JD(U)] is kamal [BJP’s election symbol], and kamal is teer.”
While AAP and the Congress are fighting on all 70 seats, the BJP is fighting on 68, with its allies — JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) contesting from a seat each.
Meanwhile, BJP MP from South Delhi Ramvir Singh Bidhuri opened the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address on Monday by accusing the ruling AAP of “looting the Capital and transforming it into a hell”.
In his speech in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Bidhuri said, “Only God or the Prime Minister can perform miracles to develop and transform the national capital.”
Published – February 04, 2025 01:59 am IST