AAP’s Defeat Means End of Short-cuts in Politics, Victory of Vision and Trust: Modi
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 8: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the BJP’s victory in the Delhi Assembly elections as the triumph of “development, vision and trust (Vikas, Vision Vishwas)” and said the people in the national capital have also proved that there was no short-cuts in politics and theatrics did not survive.
Addressing the party workers on Saturday evening after the Delhi Assembly elections results were declared bringing the saffron party back to power after 27 years, Mr Modi said the Delhi elections also proved that the people of Delhi would not tolerate “corruption, and lies in politics… they want governance, not theatrics,” he added in one of the many jibes at the outgoing AAP.
Seen as the architect of this historic victory, PM Modi heaped insults on AAP and the Congress. “Today the people of Delhi have made it clear. This is also clear from the mandate of Delhi that there is no place for shortcuts, lies in politics. The people have ended the era of shortcut politics,” he said.
PM Modi arrived at the BJP headquarters to celebrate the party’s resounding victory in the Delhi polls after 27 years and address the party workers. He was joined by other senior party leaders, including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and others. “People of Delhi are filled with enthusiasm today. They are also relieved because Delhi is now free of ‘AAP-da’. I had sent a letter to Delhiites in which I urged them to give BJP a chance to serve them in the 21st century and to make Delhi ‘viksit’ (developed) capital of India,” Mr Modi said.
“The party which was born out of a movement against corruption, found themselves getting drowned in corruption… Their Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and ministers went to jail. Liquor scam, school scam was a disgrace to Delhi’s image and they were arrogant about it. When Delhi was suffering from Covid, they were building Sheesh Mahal. In first Vidhan Sabha session of Delhi, CAG report will be presented in the house and this is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
Harsher words were reserved for the Congress. “India’s oldest party has not managed to open their account in six elections in Delhi (Lok Sabha and assembly). I told you Congress is a parasite party they takes the other party down with them whenever they are drowning. Their method is also unique, they steal their agendas and then target their vote bank and steal their votes,” he said.
“Those holding Congress’s hand are getting destroyed because it is not the same Congress as it was before independence and few years after 1947. They are doing Urban Naxal politics. Their politics is focussed on bringing anarchy and AAP-da was trying to do the same thing,” he said. Delhi, he added, can now look forward, having rejected the politics of “corruption” and “idiocy” –“It is my guarantee to the people of Delhi – Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and puri Dilli ka Vikas”.
The BJP, he said, has left a clear footprint in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and recently, Maharashtra and Haryana opted for the party with good reason, he said, “The law-and-order situation in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh once caused problems, but we worked to fix it. In Maharashtra, farmers suffered from drought, so we created Jalyukt Shivir to help them,” he said.
With two NCR states – Haryana and Uttar Pradesh – already under the BJP belt, he said the victory in Delhi will help ensure better governance in the region. The double engine government will now ensure that all the party’s election promises are kept. This would include clearing up the city, tackling pollution, garbage and sewage problems.
Along with this, he promised that the Yamuna river – which was catapulted into becoming an election issue after Mr Kejriwal’s allegation that Haryana is poisoning its waters – will become the “identity (pehchaan)” of the national capital. The promises made to women will also be kept, he said.
The Congress failed to open its account in the Delhi Assembly elections for the third consecutive terms, said it accepted the people’s verdict with humility. The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the party accepted the mandate with humility and thanking the party workers and voters said it would continue to fight for the national capital’s progress and its residents’ rights.
“We accept Delhi’s public mandate with humility. I thank all Congress workers for their dedication and all voters for their support. Pollution, price rise and corruption — the fight for Delhi’s progress and Delhiites’ rights will continue,” he said in a post on X. While the BJP won 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, the incumbent AAP finished at 22. The Congress achieved an unflattering hat-trick — zero seats won in three elections in 2015, 2020 and 2025.
