New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said states with a double-engine BJP government have progressed in the last 10 years, but Delhi has been left behind because the Aam Aadmi Party kept “making excuses” and “fighting with the Centre”.
Speaking at a public meeting in Jangpura, Shah called AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia “bade miyan and chote miyan” who have “looted” Delhi.
“States having a double-engine BJP government have progressed in the last 10 years. Delhi has been left behind. They keep making excuses and fighting with the Centre like a cry baby (babua sa munh banakar),” the BJP leader said.
Firing a fresh salvo at Sisodia, who is contesting from the Jangpura Assembly seat against BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah, Shah said he is the only education minister in the country who went to jail in connection with a liquor scam.
“Sisodia ruined the future of Delhi’s children by committing a scam in the name of classrooms. As soon as the BJP government comes, he will have to pay for every penny. The enthusiasm of the people in Jangpura shows that Delhi is going to be ‘aapda’ free,” he said. Aam Aadmi Party or AAP has been referred to by BJP leaders as “aapda” (disaster).
Shah alleged that Kejriwal lied to the people of Delhi and gave them only “garbage, toxic water, and corruption”.
“‘Bade miyan and chote miyan’ are both going to lose the elections,” he said, adding that 50 per cent of AAP MLAs have left the party as it’s a “sinking ship”.
Shah claimed that BJP is the only party that can transform Delhi into the world’s best capital city. Addressing a rally in support of BJP’s Kailash Gahlot in Bijwasan, Shah blamed the AAP government for poor local infrastructure.
“Water pipes run alongside power lines and half of Delhi floods during rainfall. People are still looking for a world-class drainage system, schools, sports university, and London-like streets that Kejriwal had promised them,” he said.
Shah also criticised Kejriwal for falsely accusing Haryana of contaminating the Yamuna’s water, calling it an insult to all Haryanvis living in Delhi and neighboring areas.
He also attacked Kejriwal for failing to fulfill his promise of taking a dip in the highly polluted river.
“Kejriwal did not take a dip, so BJP workers dipped his cutout in the river. They found that pollution in the river made the cut-out so sick that it had to be admitted to AIIMS,” Shah quipped.
The BJP leader promised to clean the Yamuna and develop a riverfront on the lines of Sabarmati within three years and provide free healthcare under the Ayushman Scheme for Delhi residents.
He reminded people that Kejriwal had promised not to take official perks like a house, car, or security before becoming chief minister.
“After becoming the chief minister, he got a car, security and a bungalow. Not satisfied with one bungalow, he demolished four and built a ‘sheesh mahal’ on 50,000 gaj (square yard) with designer marble, remote-controlled curtains, motion sensor lights and doors, a golden commode, carpet worth Rs 50 crore, a water purifier worth Rs 15 crore, and a reclining sofa worth Rs 10 lakh,” Shah alleged.
He urged voters to press the button on the EVMs “so hard that it shatters the glass of Kejriwal’s ‘sheesh mahal'”.
Attacking Sisodia, he accused the AAP leader of neglecting education and instead opening liquor shops in every corner of Delhi, including near religious places.
Shah also spoke about the “surgical strikes” against Pakistan-based terrorists in late 2016.
“Pakistan orchestrated attacks in Uri and Pulwama, they forgot that Narendra Modi is the prime minister of India, not Manmohan Singh. Within 10 days, we neutralised the terrorists by conducting surgical strikes,” he said.
He said Modi has worked to end terrorism in India in the past 10 years, and his government will eradicate Naxalism by March 2026.
Shah also said that opposition leaders, including Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, and Mehbooba Mufti, used to warn about “rivers of blood” if Article 370 was revoked in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We removed Article 370. Forget rivers of blood, no one can dare throw a pebble (kankar),” he said.
Referring to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said, “Ram Lalla lived in a tent for 550 years before Modi won the case (Babri Masjid demolition case) and constructed the Ram Temple within five years.”
