Congress stakes claim to Delhi on developmental grounds

Ahead of Delhi elections, Congress leaders criticize BJP and AAP, highlighting unemployment, safety, and broken promises while campaigning for their candidates.

Days ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, the Congress amped up its poll campaign with senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge addressing public gatherings across the Capital. Hitting out at both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress claimed that the only development in Delhi in recent years happened under Sheila Dikshit government.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. (AICC)

“Two ideologies are battling in India, on one hand we have BJP with hatred, violence, arrogance and on the other it’s love, unity, brotherhood, constitution and Congress party,” party leader Rahul Gandhi said while campaigning for Congress candidate Haroon Yusuf in Ballimaran constituency.

Further, Gandhi said the BJP is only concerned about the rich in the country while unemployment has been a pressing concern for the youth. “BJP has waived off ₹16 lakh crore of 25 billionaires,” he said.

Attacking the AAP, the Congress leader said that Delhi’s former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has broken the promises made to Delhi people. “Five years ago, Kejriwal promised i will clean Yamuna, today I challenge Kejriwal to drink one glass of Delhi’s water, he will land up in a hospital,” Gandhi said while holding a mucky water bottle. He then called the AAP anti-Dalit. “You won’t find any minority, Dalit in the list of members in team Kejriwal.”

Urging people to focus on issues like unemployment, women’s safety, rising prices and air pollution, she said both Modi and Kejriwal were only focused on spending money on their on own publicity or making a few billionaires richer.

“While one wants to talk of Sheesh Mahal, the other wants to talk about Raj Mahal. No one is talking about the real issues. Kejriwal calls himself imaandaar (honest), but he himself was involved in a liquor scam. PM Modi also calls himself imaandaar, but he sold all the country’s assets to Ambani and Adani,” she said, adding that the development Delhi saw during Sheila Dikshit’s reign is yet to be replicated.

Raising concerns about women’s safety, Vadra said, “It had been ten years since Kejriwal’s government, I ask you why are our sisters still feeling unsafe in Delhi?”