Modi senses direct fight with AAP in Delhi, takes on Arvind Kejriwal

Narendra Modi is not taking Arvind Kejriwal’s electoral threat in Delhi any lightly. His tone and tenor at his big bang public rally, launching BJP poll campaign in the Capital, left no doubt he and his party expected a direct fight with Aam Aadmi Party and they had accordingly devised their poll strategy. The Congress was there in the poll arena but not in real contention for power. The party had expected that his speech will galvanise its workers and sympathisers and give a lot many talking points against its political rivals. Modi did that with élan. He mixed his over half-an-hour long speech with some new announcement and the vision of a world class city he has for Delhi and launching a blistering offensive against rival AAP, albeit without naming it. He also targeted Congress but it was only in the passing when he talked about his pet Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna and state of unauthorised colonies. [caption id=“attachment_2039105” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] He began his speech by saying things which could potentially boost morale of his party workers and sympathisers: “Delhi’s mood is same as the nation’s mood. What country had wished, Delhi is wishing for the same.” Besides Prime Minister Modi those on the dais included chief ministers of three newly won states Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. To showcase party’s stupendous performance in Jammu and Kashmir Jitendra Singh was felicitated on the occasion. Earlier taking on Kejriwal’s aam aadmi plank, Amit Shah pointed to two of his newly made chief ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Raghubar Das’ humble origin and claimed that they fitted the real criteria of aam aadmi. One does not become aam aadmi by marketing, was Shah’s, message. Modi ridiculed Kejriwal for his “yes I am an anarchist” statement made exactly a year ago. Kejriwal was then chief minister and had gone on a dharna seeking removal of a Delhi Police SHO. That dharna went on for two days and he ultimately had to lift it after being assured by the home ministry that the policemen would be asked to proceed on leave. “The work should be assigned in consonance with the skills that one has. A driver can’t be expected to be a good cook. Those who master art of engaging in dharna and street protests should be left for doing that. Give them that work. The BJP masters in art of providing good governance and thus we should be given that task.” Modi said. “Have you ever seen a political leader who says ‘yes I am an anarchist’. If you are an anarchist go and join Naxals in Chhattisgarh. Naxals too are anarchist. Delhi does not need an anarchist. A civilised society lives here and needs a responsible government,” Modi said in a clear reference to Kejriwal. But Modi didn’t just stop here. He questioned Kejriwal’s administrative skills and vision for Delhi. “Development does not take place by mere announcements. It takes hard labour and going into minute details. Then only a developmental project takes off,” the prime minister said. He then went on elaborating his Jan-Dhan (zero balance accounts for the poor) scheme and how he was enhancing electricity supply for Delhi to make it an uninterrupted 24x7 supply in the Capital. Lack of regular electricity supply and increased bills has been a big electoral issue in Delhi for last so many elections. He again took a dig at Kejriwal’s promise to cut electricity tariff by half. “Electricity should be cheap but for that you first need is electricity. There can’t be a bill if you don’t get electricity. I am going to ensure uninterrupted supply for 24 hours. You don’t change a situation by making provocative statements and false promises. To achieve that you need to take solid steps,” Modi said. “A falsehood factory is running here. Everyday they manufacture a lie. One such lie was the claim that once BJP gets elected in Delhi it would reduce retirement age of government employees to 58. This was something that never was in consideration of the government but the lie was spread, the prime minister said asking the electorate not to believe such lies. Though Modi didn’t respond to any of the issues including statehood that Kejriwal lately took up but he responded to his charges against him for being cosy to certain industrialists. “Years ago there was a phase in politics when a leader would abuse few rich persons in order to provoke the poor and get favourable rating from them. But time has now time has changed. People now want to see tangible development on the ground,” he said. Modi made a mega poll promise that he would provide concrete houses to all those who were currently living on footpath or in temporary slum clusters. But he kept its gestation period long, 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of its Independence. To lure people living in unauthorised colonies his government has already brought out an ordinance. After Sheila Dikshit’s statement that in the event of a fractured mandate, which she predicted would be the eventual result, the Congress would yet again support Kejriwal’s AAP to keep the “communal BJP” out of the government, it has become clear that the party which ruled the city for 15 consecutive years was not pitching for regaining its lost fortunes. The battle lines are drawn between BJP and AAP. BJP leaders are happy that Modi could make announcements to reach out to segments of society which traditionally had not been its supporters. The party should thank Election Commission for taking its own sweet time in announcing schedule for Delhi polls, whereby Modi and Urban Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu were able to offer those pre-poll sops.