Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 3: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a frontal attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its supremo and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal expanding the party’s name to “AAPda” (disaster) giving a call to the voters of Delhi to remove the “disaster” and vote in the BJP to ensure a future of development for themselves.
Addressing a public rally at Ashok Vihar Ramlila ground after inaugurating some projects in the capital city, Mr Modi used the occasion to virtually launch the BJP’s campaign for the coming elections to the Delhi Assembly expected next month and accused the AAP leadership of pushing Delhi into a crisis and claimed their governance was defined by corruption and mismanagement.
“In the last 10 years, Delhi is surrounded by an ‘AAPda’. AAP has descended as a calamity on Delhi. By keeping Anna Hazare at the front, a few ‘kattar beimaan‘(bluntly dishonest) people have pushed Delhi towards ‘aapda‘,” he said, adding, “AAP aapda bankar Delhi par toot padi hai.” (The AAP has affected Delhi like a disaster).
Mr Kejriwal hits back claiming that not the AAP but the real disaster for the people of Delhi was the BJP as the party government at the centre had made no contribution for the development of Delhi in the last 10 years.
“The people of Delhi have waged a war against this ‘aapda‘. Voters of Delhi have made up their minds to free Delhi from this ‘aapda‘. Every voter of Delhi is saying, ‘aapda ko nahi sahenge, badal ke rahenge’.” (We won’t tolerate the disaster).
In an indirect reference to Delhi chief minister’s official residence which BJP has nicknamed “Sheeshmahal” accusing Mr Kejriwal of spending crores of rupees of public funds for his personal comfort, Mr Modi said “I could have built a ‘Sheeshmahal’ (glass palace) too, but I chose to build more than 4 crore homes for the poor,” PM Modi said at the event, alluding to recent allegations of exorbitant expenditures on the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence.
This statement referred to an October inventory released by the Public Works Department (PWD), detailing high-end appliances and gadgets reportedly worth over crores installed at the Delhi Chief Minister’s bungalow. The controversy has become a political flashpoint between the BJP and the AAP.
Mr Modi virtually inaugurated two urban redevelopment projects – the World Trade Centre at Nauroji Nagar and GPRA Type-II Quarters at Sarojini Nagar, along with the CBSE’s Integrated Office Complex at Dwarka. He also laid the foundation stone of Veer Savarkar College at Roshanpura, Najafgarh.
The Prime Minister also inspected newly constructed 1675 flats for the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters under the In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project at Swabhiman Apartments, Ashok Vihar, Delhi. He later handed over the keys of the flats to the beneficiaries and also interacted with some Economically Weaker Section (EWS) families in the area.
Cautioning the voters of Delhi that the situation in the national capital would worsen if AAP’s reign continued, Mr Modi said on the one hand, the Centre was making a lot of efforts; on the other, the Union Territory government stands for brazen lies. He accused the AAP government of committing corruption in a host of sectors ranging from school education to fighting pollution and liquor trade. “This year will usher in a new politics of nation-building and people’s welfare. Therefore, ‘aapda’ has to be removed and the BJP brought in,” he said.
Due to the city government not allowing the Centre’s signature health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, and other programmes in the national capital, Mr Modi said he was unable to help the people living here fully despite his efforts. If highways are being built in the capital and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has been able to make houses for the poor, it was because “aapda” did not have much role in these sectors, he added.
“Today, India has become a symbol of political and economic stability. This role of India will strengthen even more in 2025. This year will be the year to strengthen India’s position in the world. It will be the year of making India one of the biggest manufacturing centres in the world…”
Mr Modi also used his favourite pass-time of whatever he has done during the emergency period when he was hiding. “When I am here today, it’s obvious to remember many old memories. When the country was fighting against Indira Gandhi’s dictatorship. For many people like me who were part of the underground movement, Ashok Vihar used to be a place for me to live,” the Prime Minister said. “The country knows it well that Modi never built a home for himself but has built more than four crore houses for the poor,” PM Modi said.
Also speaking on the inauguration of the new college in Delhi, PM Modi said, “A new college in the name of Veer Savarkar is going to be built in Najafgarh. Those who have been in power in Delhi for the last 10 years – have damaged school education. The money that the central government has given to Delhi – the current govt of Delhi hasn’t even spent half of that money in education.”
“Even after Independence, such works (New Education Policy) were not done, lekin aapke sevak ne kar diya… (but your servant has done it). “Delhi has made a mark as a hub for education, drawing students from all over India. During today’s programme, will lay the foundation stone for three transformative projects worth over Rs. 600 crore. These initiatives aim to strengthen the academic infrastructure and provide world-class learning environments for students.”
“The projects include a cutting-edge academic block at the Eastern Campus in Surajmal Vihar, East Delhi, and another at the Western Campus in Dwarka. Additionally, the foundation will be laid for the Veer Savarkar College in Roshanpura, Najafgarh, designed to embody excellence in education with state-of-the-art facilities,” PM Modi’s X post read.
“The people of Delhi can see the situation of Yamuna. Look at their (AAP’s) shamelessness, they say that cleaning Yamuna won’t get them votes – will you leave Yamuna like this if it doesn’t get you votes?” the Prime Minister asked, adding, “This ‘aapda‘ has handed the lives of the people of Delhi to the hands of tanker mafia.”
Hours later, the Prime Minister shared a video, and captioned it, “Empowering the people of Delhi with better opportunities and quality of life remains our unwavering commitment, reflecting in the projects being inaugurated today!”
Mr Kejriwal reacted sharply to Mr Modi’s ‘AAPada for Delhi’ jibe at the party, and said the work done by the AAP government was “not AAPda but people’s blessings.” “Our work is not ‘AAPda’ but people’s aashirwaad,” Kejriwal said at a press conference, as the political temperatures in the national capital rise in the run-up to the Assembly Elections.
In a strong rebuttal, Mr Kejriwal accused the BJP of failing Delhi over the past decade and dismissed Mr Modi’s remarks as “personal attacks.” Mr Kejriwal claimed his government’s record in education, healthcare, and infrastructure far outpaced the BJP’s contributions.
“In 10 years, the BJP has not done a single significant thing in Delhi. They promised permanent housing by 2022 but have built only 4,700 houses in five years. Compare that to AAP’s work-22,000 classrooms, three new universities, and countless developmental initiatives,” Mr Kejriwal said.
PM Modi, during his 43-minute speech, emphasized that the BJP-led central government has been the driving force behind Delhi’s infrastructure growth. He handed over keys to beneficiaries of the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project in Ashok Vihar, where eligible recipients paid only a fraction of the construction cost. Mr Kejriwal countered by accusing the BJP of demolishing slums without providing alternatives. “If you had voted for BJP, they would have razed all slums in Delhi,” he alleged. “There is no ‘AAPda’ in Delhi. The real disaster is the BJP,” he said.
