MCD election: Amit Shah targets ‘corrupt’ AAP govt, plays development card

Sounding the bugle ahead of the municipal polls in Delhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Saturday hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that the two- and-half-years of his government in power in Delhi has been riddled with corruption.

Comparing the tenure of the BJP government at the Centre, Shah said that even after being in power for almost three years, the Opposition couldn’t trade any corruption charges against it.

“When the AAP came to power, the people of Delhi felt that it will deliver good governance. However, in a short span of time, it has indulged in corruption like no other party has. The government’s principal secretary (Rajendra Kumar) was arrested by the CBI on corruption charges. There was a scam in onion purchase, appointments in Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), water tanker procurement and street lights. One of the AAP ministers was involved in the Hawala case. Another minister is involved in land scam,” Shah said while addressing a rally of booth level workers at Ramlila Maidan to motivate them before the civic polls.

The rally was attended by six Lok Sabha MPs of Delhi including BJP state unit chief Manoj Tiwari, Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jitendra Singh, Sanjeev Balyan and Vijay Goel. Saturday’s rally also marked the party’s formal launch of campaign for the April 23 municipal elections.

“Barely a week after a new government being sworn-in in Uttar Pradesh, Kejriwal is seeking its performance report. Don’t worry, BJP will fulfil all its promises. And, we will not ask for your performance report because it is expected from responsible people. Thirteen of your MLAs are facing criminal cases. How do you explain that? Before the municipal election campaign, you (Kejriwal) should order a magisterial enquiry to look into corruption charges against your MLAs,” the BJP chief said.

Shah asked the people to dislodge AAP government in the next (assembly) elections. “MCD election will work for laying the foundation for assembly elections. To ensure development, there should be a government, which is not indulged in fighting with the Centre. MCDs should work in coordination with the centre and state government for the growth,” he said.