NEW DELHI, Jan 11: Slum dwellers will liberate Delhi by uprooting the “Aapda” (AAP) government in the upcoming Assembly polls, BJP leader Amit Shah said on Saturday, with ruling party chief Arvind hitting him back, accusing him of “lying” to the people.
Using “Aapda” (disaster) and “Sheesh Mahal” (bungalow where Kejriwal lived as CM) jibes, Shah accused the ruling AAP of betraying slum dwellers and forcing them to live in pathetic condition with dirty water supply, heaps of garbage, foul smell and lack of basic amenities like toilets and sewers.
Addressing the ‘Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan’ at the JLN stadium here, Shah said Kejriwal neglected the needs of slum dwellers while constructing an “expensive” toilet in his “Sheesh Mahal.”
“Narendra Modi ji got 12 crore toilets constructed in the houses of the poor and what did you do? You constructed a more expensive toilet for yourself in the Sheesh Mahal than those in the slums of poor people,” he said.
Shah, the Union Home minister, said every slum dweller would be provided a house if the BJP won the polls, and no welfare schemes for the poor would be stopped.
The elections for 70-member Delhi Assembly polls will be held on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8.
Shah also accused Kejriwal of lying that the BJP would demolish slums after coming to power in Delhi.
Kejriwal hit back accusing Shah of “abusing” him and Delhi people.
In a post on X he accused BJP of demolishing slums and announced a press conference, to be held in one such slum cluster.
“…Amit ji told a lot of lies to the ‘jhuggi’ dwellers. Tomorrow morning I will hold a press conference from a ‘jhuggi basti’ which they have planned to demolish after the elections. I will expose the dirty intentions of BJP with full evidence,” Kejriwal said in the post.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh charged that the BJP was behind 35 demolition drives between 2022 and 2023, rendering several poor homeless.
Shah greeted the gathering on the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with a loud chant of “Jai Shri Ram.”
“When we talked of Ram Temple, Kejriwal said toilets need to be constructed, when Article 370 was scrapped, he said people need houses. Modi ji gave toilets as well as houses to the poor people, not Kejriwal,” Shah said.
He said the AAP has proved to be an “Aapda” in its 10 years of rule in Delhi.
“The slum dwellers will become the liberators of Delhi and do the work of uprooting the Aapda government,” Shah said.
The BJP leader also lashed out at Kejriwal over his claim, made earlier in the day, that the BJP had finalised Ramesh Bidhuri as the chief ministerial face of the party for the Delhi polls.
“Can Kejriwal decide the BJP’s chief ministerial face?” he asked.
“Lies, betrayal and going back on promises,” are the qualities of Kejriwal, Shah said.
He also said all his party’s promises to the slum dwellers will find a mention in the BJP’s manifesto.
“The BJP will ensure pucca houses for every slum dweller,” he said.
He added, “I want to reiterate what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier that no welfare schemes for the poor will be stopped.”
The BJP has been using the “Sheesh Mahal” phrase to refer to Kejriwal’s erstwhile 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow address, where, the former CM, it alleged, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle before his resignation in September last year. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
