New Delhi: BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Sunday attacked former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over the recurring deterioration in the city's air quality, witnessed in the past many years. Taking a dig at him, Thakur said Kejriwal came to Delhi "coughing" from Haryana 11 years ago and has since left the city "gasping for breath."
The former Union minister also claimed that once the "AAP-da" government is removed from Delhi, the BJP will ensure clean roads, clean water, a clean Yamuna, and clean air. "Aap-da," meaning disaster, is a derisive term Prime Minister Narendra Modi devised for the party in one of his rallies in the city.
"Eleven years ago, someone from Haryana came coughing to Delhi with a muffler wrapped around him. Now, that same person wants Z-plus security from two states," Thakur said. "Neither Delhi's air is clean, nor its roads, nor its mountains of garbage, nor the Yamuna. This time, the AAP government will be cleaned out of Delhi too," he added.
Thakur accused Kejriwal of launching his political career as a crusader against corruption but indulging in the vice himself. He also alleged that the AAP government had set new records of corruption, saying, "The government promised to give Rs 1,000 to women but failed to deliver. Not only in Delhi but also in Punjab, the AAP government made the same promise and has not paid a single penny to any woman."
Thakur further claimed that in the last 10 years, 15 AAP MLAs, eight ministers, and one MP have been jailed for corruption, adding that even the chief minister and the deputy chief minister ran the government from jail. He also called Kejriwal "anti-women," alleging, "A man who can take a fake oath in his daughter's name cannot be trusted to work for your welfare."
Thakur made these remarks while addressing the 'Samman Samaroh' programme organised by the 'Rohini Federation of CGHS' and 'Akhil Rohini Jat Sabha' in support of BJP candidate Vijender Gupta from the Rohini Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, Vijender Gupta also targeted Kejriwal, calling him "the king of fraudsters." Gupta accused Kejriwal of being an expert at making false promises, saying that he spent 10 years making "empty commitments" to clean the Yamuna River, yet it remains unfit for bathing or even standing in its waters for two minutes.
He further alleged that the promise of providing world-class healthcare was exposed as "false" during the pandemic when the lack of hospital beds, oxygen, and proper facilities cost lives. "During COVID-19, while people were struggling to survive, Kejriwal spent crores on curtains for his luxurious bungalow," Gupta claimed.
Gupta urged people to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "developed India" by first focusing on a "developed Delhi." Delhi is set to go to polls on February 5, with the results to be announced on February 8.
