Double-engine key, say BJP leaders, ministers

Jyotiraditya Scindia listed the projects completed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Central government including LED streetlights installation, electric buses, Delhi-Meerut, Delhi Amritsar expressway among other initiatives.

Several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, Union ministers and chief ministers flooded the streets of the national capital on Wednesday, as the party that governed the city’s civic body for 15 years aimed to drum up support among Delhi voters and stave off the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing it off turning the city into a hub of “pollution and crime”.

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia during a road show for the MCD election campaign at Mandoli Shahdara, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Jyotiraditya Scindia, chief ministers Jai Ram Thakur (Himachal Pradesh), Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand) and Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), were among the slew of heavyweights who campaigned for the BJP, imploring voters to pick the saffron party for the benefits of a “double-engine” government.

Scindia, the civil aviation minister, said the AAP made several promises but did not fulfil a single one.

“Look what they have done to Delhi. They promised that Delhi will look like London and Paris but the ‘crown of the country’ has been made the crime and pollution capital. No initiative to counter pollution is visible on ground,” he said during a roadshow in northeast Delhi’s Mandoli-Shahdara region.

Scindia said that AAP claimed to be the party of common people but had a history of breaking promises and violating its principles and ethics.

“They came to power the first time on the basis of campaigning against the corruption of the Congress but later formed a government with the same Congress in violation of their principles and ethics. When they came to power the second time, they spoke about development and progress but we have seen nothing but a history of vada khilafi (breaking promises)--violation of principles and ideology,” Scindia said, alleging that AAP’s ideology has now been reduced to advertisements and propaganda.

An AAP spokesperson declined to comment despite requests.

Civic elections in Delhi will be held on December 4, and votes will be counted on December 7.

Scindia also attacked the AAP, arguing that jailed minister Satyendar Jain should have given up his position after being lodged in Tihar prison for over six months, adding that AAP should be renamed the Diwan-e-Khas Party (party of special people).

“Just look at their ministers. If a common man goes to jail, will he get a massage service in prison... will they get housekeeping services..do they get feasts..it looks like five-star hotel service,” Scindia said.

Meanwhile in south Delhi, Union road transport minister Gadkari campaigned in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, Amar Colony, East of Kailash and Greater Kailash, accusing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government of wasting thousands of crores given by the Centre to clean the Yamuna.

“Today, the BJP is working to clean the Ganga, but at the same time, the funds given by the Centre to Kejriwal and his government to clean the Yamuna have been wasted. The Yamuna has actually become dirtier than before as the Delhi government failed to take any concrete steps,” he said, adding Delhi currently was plagued by two major problems --- traffic jams and air pollution-- the solutions for which are with the Centre.

“To solve both these problems, the transport department under the Centre has spent ₹60,000 crore. In addition, projects worth ₹1,60,000 crore are also being undertaken around Delhi, including the construction of four new greenfield expressways,” Gadkari said in Lajpat Nagar. “Not only has a dense network of roads been laid in India, but the central government has also reduced the distance between several cities and Delhi, be it Delhi to Dehradun, Delhi to Mumbai or Delhi and Katra,” he added.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Chouhan, during a road show, accused the Kejriwal government of being a “turncoat” government that continuously changes its stance. “Till some time ago, he (Kejriwal) used to oppose the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and when it started to be built, he started talking about taking people to Ayodhya. The people of Delhi have recognised these imposters very well and will now reject them,” he said.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who campaigned for the BJP in Tikona Park and Karol Bagh, said, “In Delhi, the BJP is getting the complete support of people. Voters know Delhi does not need councillors who lie but those who get development done.”

BJP vice-president Jay Panda said, “BJP workers are determined to help the party win the MCD elections. Their hard work won’t go in vain.”