Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'Delhi won't tolerate 'AAP-da' remark. Kejriwal held a press conference hours after PM Modi's rally in the Rohini area, at which he dubbed the AAP government a "disaster" (AAP-da) that had struck Delhi and asserted the BJP would usher in change.
"Today, the prime minister spoke for 30 minutes and he kept abusing the people of Delhi and the elected government of Delhi - I was listening to it, it felt bad... The promise made by the PM in Delhi in 2020 - the people of Delhi Dehat are still waiting for that to be fulfilled," he added.
"PM Modi promises that Delhi Land Reform Acts' clauses 81 and 33 will be cancelled. The Delhi Assembly passed the proposal for it many years ago. I want to ask PM Modi to talk a little bit on this as well when he comes to give speeches in Delhi next time."
No welfare scheme to be shut if BJP comes to power in Delhi: PM Modi
At the BJP rally, PM Modi accused Delhi's AAP government of wasting a decade fighting with the Centre and urged its people to give the BJP an opportunity to turn the national capital into a city of the future. The prime minister also assured that no public welfare scheme would be discontinued if the BJP assumed power but the party's government would weed out the corruption in their implementation.
"Only when this 'aapda (disaster)' is gotten rid of in Delhi, the double-engine of development will come in," PM Modi said.
The prime minister said the Centre had been developing highways in Delhi, expanding the Metro network, starting the Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System, and running big hospitals.
"In the past 10 years, Delhi has witnessed a state government that is no less than an 'aapda (disaster)'! Delhiites have realised this. Only one voice is reverberating in Delhi -- 'Aapda nahi sahenge, badal kar rahenge (will not tolerate disaster, will bring change)," PM Modi said.
The prime minister said when the people of Delhi were grappling with COVID-19, struggling to find oxygen and medicines, the entire focus of the "aapda people" was on building their "Sheesh Mahal".
"They made a huge budget for the 'Sheesh Mahal'.This is their truth...They do not care about the people of Delhi. That is why every Delhiite today is saying...'we will not tolerate aapda, we will change'," he said.
PM Modi also accused the AAP government of spreading fear that a BJP government in Delhi would discontinue several welfare schemes implemented by it.
The prime minister asserted a new BJP government would implement central schemes that, he claimed, had been stalled by the AAP government with renewed vigour.
"For Delhi, these people have made every season, every weather, 'aapda kaal'. The energy of Delhiites is spent in dealing with 'aapda' throughout the year," he said.
(With agencies inputs)
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