Congress wants Harsh Vardhan to apologise for ‘Delhi in ICU’ comment

Congress leader Mukesh Sharma on Friday demanded an “unconditional apology” from the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan for his comment that Delhi had been in “ICU (intensive care unit) for the last 15 years”.

Congress leader Mukesh Sharma on Friday demanded an “unconditional apology” from the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan for his comment that Delhi had been in “ICU (intensive care unit) for the last 15 years”.

Sharma said Vardhan had “insulted the people of Delhi” by making this observation. “It is the BJP that was sent to the ICU in 1998 by the people of Delhi due to its five-year misrule. The Congress will put it on ventilator support after defeating it for the fourth consecutive time in December this year,” the four-time MLA and spokesperson of the Congress legislative party said.

He said Delhi had seen major transformation in 15 years. “Delhi is prospering, it is healthy and happy. It is considered one of the world’s major cities.”

In his first press conference after being named the BJP’s chief minister candidate, Vardhan had accused the Congress government of “piling up miseries” on the people and putting Delhi in the “intensive care unit” by its “misrule”.

Sharma posed 15 questions for Vardhan and challenged him for an open debate. “I want to ask the BJP and its chief minister candidate why no new hospital was built in Delhi during the BJP rule between 1993 and 1998? What did the BJP government do when Delhi faced 12-16 hours power cuts?” he said.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Jitender Kochar alleged that BJP leaders in the three civic corporations were neck deep in corruption.

“Not just building plans, one has to pay bribe to get death certificates made. Thanks to the MCD’s inaction, dengue has become an epidemic,” Kochar said.