AAP polluted Delhi, its politics: Thakur

Union minister Anurag Thakur also listed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s achievements during its 15-year tenure in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) during a public meeting in Preet Vihar.

Accusing Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of “polluting Delhi and its politics”, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday alleged the CM had “created records of corruption and shamelessness”.

Union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur campaigns in Preet Vihar on Thursday. (HT Photo)

“Before coming to power in Punjab, Kejriwal used to blame the then Congress government for pollution in Delhi, but the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government did nothing to check stubble burning. Kejriwal has polluted Delhi and its politics.”

Thakur also listed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s achievements during its 15-year tenure in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) during a public meeting in Preet Vihar, and attacked the AAP over allegations of corruption. “AAP ministers do corruption and Kejriwal gives them certificate of integrity. This is Delhi model of Kejriwal,” Thakur said.

The AAP and the BJP are engaged in a heated war of words in the run-up to the MCD polls scheduled to be held on December 4. Over 30 senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers and office bearers of different states, addressed multiple public meetings and conducted road shows in different parts of the Capital seeking votes for the party candidates on Tuesday. Among the Union ministers were Piyush Goyal, Anurag Thakur, Bhupendra Yadav, Narendra Singh Tomar and Dr Jitendra Singh. Chief minister of Himachal Prdesh Jairam Thakur and deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya also campaigned for BJP on Tuesday.

Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta and leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also participated in campaigns. Gupta went to the ancient Neelkanth temple in Patel Nagar and prayed for the victory of all the BJP candidates of Delhi and later campaigned by going door-to-door in Amar Colony and Andrews Ganj ward.

Addressing a public meeting in Ashok Vihar, Goyal said that the BJP is campaigning on the strength of its achievements in the MCD and the facilities provided by the Central government to the residents of Delhi’s unauthorised colonies. “BJP is getting immense support from the public. The business community of Delhi is a partner in the economic development of the country and to continue this development, they will elect BJP in the MCD as well,” said Goyal.

According to BJP workers, the party has planned 14 major road shows across Delhi led by senior leaders, including six Union ministers and three sitting chief ministers on Wednesday. Union minister Nitin Gadkari will lead the road show in Malviya Nagar and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Rohtas Nagar.

Jairam Thakur, who conducted a door-to-door campaign in Dilshad Colony on Tuesday, said that the politics of Delhi will decide the politics of the whole country and therefore people should elect the BJP in the MCD. Keshav Prasad Maurya said the corruption scams have exposed Kejriwal and the people will reject AAP in the MCD polls.

A spokesperson of AAP declined to comment on the BJP’s allegations despite requests.

Meanwhile, CM Arvind Kejriwal, during an election campaign in the day, alleged that the BJP was abusing him because it did nothing during 15 years of its rule in the MCD. “I challenge BJP national president JP Nadda: What work did you do in MCD apart from abusing me in 15 years, tell me one work,” he said.