Will develop Delhi, make the corrupt pay: PM Modi

PM Modi thanked voters for supporting BJP, promising development in Delhi, action against corruption, and a focus on infrastructure and youth opportunities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked voters on Saturday for reposing faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as he promised to put Delhi on the development map with world-class infrastructure and amenities, assured that action will be taken against those involved in corruption, and said every irregularity will be probed.

PM Narendra Modi arrives at the BJP office after the Delhi poll results were announced. (ANI)

The party’s victory in Delhi, he said, enthused people and provided relief from “AAP-da” (referring to the Aam Aadmi Party as catastrophic).

“This is not an ordinary victory, people have shown the door to AAP-da (a reference to the AAP)... Adambar, Aarajakta, Ahankaar aur AAP-da ki haar hui...(it is a defeat of fakery, anarchy, arrogance and disaster)...” he said addressing workers at the BJP headquarters after the party’s win.

Modi, who began his speech with salutations to the River Yamuna, the revival and rejuvenation of which was one of the key election issues, said it was his guarantee to the people of Delhi that the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on the contentious excise policy will be tabled in the very first session of the Delhi Assembly.

“It is my guarantee that in the first assembly session, CAG’s report will be tabled... all corruption cases will be investigated, jisne bhi jo loota hai usko lautana padega (people will have to repay what they have looted),” he said. In the run-up to the Delhi polls, the BJP had accused the AAP of withholding the tabling of CAG reports that purportedly alleged that the scrapped liquor policy of 2021-22 led to losses worth ₹2,026 crore.

Promising a crackdown on governance deficit, the PM said the AAP did not allow various infrastructure projects to take shape, houses to be built for the poor, and welfare schemes such as Ayushman Yojna to be implemented.

“Delhi is the gateway to India. It should have world-class infrastructure. We will make Delhi a modern city. For the first time since Independence, the BJP is in power in the entire National Capital Region... in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. This is a great coincidence that will throw open many paths for success. We will focus on mobility and offer the youth new avenues for development,” he said.

Lashing out at the earlier government for failing to meet the aspirations of the people, he said, “Earlier governments thought of urbanisation as a challenge, they used cities only for earning personal wealth. But I think urbanisation is an opportunity that can empower the poor and the deprived.”

He criticised the AAP for failing to come good on its promise to clean the Yamuna and accused the party of trampling on people’s faith and reverence for the river.

“I have sworn we will make the Yamuna Delhi’s identity. It is a difficult and long winding task. Look at Ganga cleaning, its been going on since Rajiv Gandhi’s time...But if our resolve is strong, we will be able to do it and serve with complete dedication,” he said.

Lashing out at the AAP for its double-speak on corruption, the PM said those who used the platform of an anti-graft movement, turned out to be “kattar baiman” (most corrupt).

The victory he said has made clear there is no place for lies and deceit in politics and people have short-circuited the party of shortcuts.

“Those who were giving certificates of corruption to others, turned out to be the most corrupt. The liquor scam gave us a bad name, there were scams in schools and hospital ...plus there was arrogance, when the world was fighting Covid, they were busy making the Sheesh Mahal,” he said.

Drawing a comparison between the NDA-ruled states and those ruled by other parties, the PM said the whole country knows that where there is NDA, there is vikas (development) and vishwas (faith). Although the BJP contested 68 of the 70 seats, sparing just two for the allies, the JDU and the LJP, the election campaign saw NDA partners from the TDP to the Shiv Sena, campaign jointly. The PM’s reference to the NDA’s strength comes ahead of the Bihar polls later this year, which will be contested jointly by the partners.

“All candidates and representatives (of the NDA) work among people. Wherever we have the mandate, we have worked to scale new heights. That is why, the BJP is continuously winning, for the second and third time. In Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur we have tasted success twice,” he said.

Listing the administrative achievements of the BJP-ruled states, he said, there was a time when law and order as well as seasonal outbreaks of encephalitis were major concerns in UP, but the BJP government worked with commitment to put an end to these.

“In Maharashtra drought used to bring problems for farmers, but we got water for farmers...in Haryana, no one used to get jobs without Kharchi and Parchi (bribe and recommendation). In Gujarat there was a major water crisis, today it is an agriculture powerhouse,” he said.

Referring to the states where the BJP and its allies are in power, he said, “Think of how bad Bihar was before Nitish Ji, change came when NDA came. Chandrababu Naidu proved his track record in Andhra Pradesh... NDA means vikas, sushashan ki guarantee (guarantee of development and good governance)...” he said.

Attacks Congress

The PM also launched a blistering attack on the Congress, dubbing it as a “parasite” that pulls down its allies and grabs their votebank.

“Congress has made a double hat-trick of getting zero...the oldest party in the national capital has not been able to open its account in the last six elections. The country is not ready to have faith in the Congress. It is a parasite that sinks and also drags down its partners...one by one they are finishing off their allies,” he said.

He also took a broadside at the INDIA bloc that chose to support the AAP in Delhi, pointing out that while they did not support the Congress, they could not save the AAP.

Taking potshots at the INDIA bloc, he said the present-day Congress is stealing the agenda of its partners and then dents their votebank. “In UP it is trying to steal the SP and BSP’s votebank, Mulayam Singh had understood it. In Tamil Nadu, they are trying to steal the DMK voters and in Bihar it is trying to steal RJD’s voters by spreading jaatiwad ka zaher, it is the same story in J&K and West Bengal...” he said.

He made a sharp reference to the Congress attempting to woo Hindus and said, “After 2014, they tried to become Hindu, visited temples, then they stopped doing so, because they realised they cannot enter the BJP’s turf. Now they are eyeing the regional parties,” he said.

Those partnering with the Congress are suffering because the party is not what it used to be during and after Independence, he said. “It is doing the rajneeti of urban Naxals, not nationalism,” he said.

Without naming Rahul Gandhi who has said the Congress’s fight is against the BJP, RSS and the Indian state itself, he said, the leader’s statement is the “language of urban Naxals”. Gandhi had made the statement on January 15, at the inauguration of the Congress party’s new headquarters in Delhi.

“...The AAP-da was also doing the same,” he said, urging the youth to join politics so that the contest is not between “dhoortata and moorkhata” (slyness and foolishness).

Party president JP Nadda who also spoke on the occasion said people in Delhi made a decisive choice to pick the BJP.

“This shows Dilli ke dil mein Modi basta hai (Modi resides in the hearts of Delhiites). In the last 10 years he has changed the political landscape and started the politics of giving a report card (giving an account)...He did what he promised and did what was not even promised. Modi’s guarantee is the guarantee of the guarantee being met,” Nadda said.