To PM’s ‘AAPda’ jibe, Kejri says BJP faces real disaster

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a blistering attack against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), coining the word “aapda” (disaster) to describe the party ruling Delhi. Hitting back, the AAP claimed it was, in fact, the BJP that faced the real ‘aapda’ as it “neither had a CM face nor narrative” for the Delhi Assembly poll.

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‘Sheeshmahal’ attack on ex-CM

I, too, could have built a ‘sheeshmahal’ for myself, but my dream was to provide ‘pucca’ houses to my countrymen… Time to free Delhi from ‘aapda’. Narendra Modi, prime minister

BJP lacks narrative for Delhi poll

The BJP faces real ‘aapda’ as it neither has a CM face nor narrative for the Delhi Assembly poll. Arvind Kejriwal, ex-CM

Inaugurating multiple projects ahead of the elections, PM Modi said, “Aapda ko hatana hai, BJP ko laana hai (must eliminate the threat by voting the BJP to power).”

Predicting the BJP’s victory in the poll, the PM said, “Delhi has been gripped by a disaster for the last 10 years, but this year will usher in new politics of nation-building and people’s welfare.”

Targeting former Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Modi said, “I, too, could have built a ‘sheeshmahal’ (glass palace) for myself, but my dream was to provide ‘pucca’ (concrete) houses to my fellow countrymen”. Kejriwal, it may be noted, had drawn flak for spending lavishly on refurbishing his official residence. “Bharat knows that Modi has never built a house for himself, but over the past 10 years, he has fulfilled the dreams of more than four crore people,” the PM said. “I urge you whenever you meet slum dwellers, assure them on my behalf that they will definitely get ‘pucca’ houses. If not today, then tomorrow,” Modi told the crowd.

The PM was speaking at an event to hand over the keys of newly constructed flats to the dwellers of ‘jhuggi’ clusters under the in-situ slum rehabilitation project at Swabhiman Apartments in New Delhi’s Ashok Vihar. The BJP has been trying to reach out to slum-dwellers with a host of initiatives to wean them away from the AAP. Modi’s handing out the keys of 1,675 Swabhiman flats, built by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), to slum-dwellers on Friday was part of that.

Without taking Kejriwal’s name, Modi said that by keeping (social activist) Anna Hazare on the front, some allegedly “kattar beimaan (staunchly dishonest)” people had pushed the national capital towards the “aapada (disaster)”. The PM also mentioned the alleged liquor scam and accused the AAP government of corruption. He said the Centre had been making a lot of efforts to ensure development of the national capital, but the initiatives were “scuttled by the AAP government”.

Modi also slammed the AAP government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in Delhi despite the popularity of the plan in other parts of the country.

The PM also hit out at the AAP government over its alleged failure to clean Yamuna river. “Anyone in Delhi can see the condition of the Yamuna. Look at their (AAP’s) shamelessness… they say cleaning the Yamuna won’t get them votes… will you leave the Yamuna dirty if it doesn’t get you votes?” Modi said, alleging that the AAP government had left the lives of the Delhi people at the mercy of tanker mafia”.

He also inaugurated two urban redevelopment projects in Delhi—the World Trade Centre at Nauroji Nagar and the general pool residential accommodation type-II quarters at Sarojini Nagar.

Addressing a press conference after the PM’s attack, Kejriwal said it was the BJP’s “habit to engage in abusive politics and personal attacks”. “In his speech today, Modiji spent 39 minutes doing nothing but abusing the elected government and people of Delhi. Even two-three hours would be insufficient to list the works done by our government in the last 10 years. On the other hand, the BJP government has not done any work that Modiji could have talked about in his speech. If it had done any work, he would not have had to just abuse the people of Delhi,” he said.