BJP's ‘who needs enemies’ dig at AAP as Congress's Sandeep Dikshit reacts to mohalla clinics row

Amid a war of words between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress over 'mohalla clinics' in Delhi, senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Saturday said he could have shown the “real truth of Arvind Kejriwal's governance” to visiting Karnataka minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Dikshit was reacting to Rao's statement calling the mohalla clinics run by the AAP “overhyped” and that he was left “disappointed” after a visit to one such facility.

The Bharatiya Janata Party did not miss out on the opportunity to take a swipe at the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, which is part of the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc along with the Congress.

“After Dinesh Gundu Rao busted the 'World Class Health Model' of AAP by calling it over hyped now Sandeep Dikshit & Mr Maken continue to expose it further by saying that AAP indulges in rampant corruption & in every area the truth is something else,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla wrote on X (formally Twitter).

“With such friends who needs enemies! This isn’t anything close to spirit of INDIA this is just an opportunistic alliance of people who have nothing in common least of all a mission or vision for the country! They are all together only to save their corruption & to try & stop the work of PM Modi. Amit Shah ji was right… Delhi services Pe vote khatam - rishta khatam,” he added.

Earlier on Saturday, taking to the micro-blogging site, Dikshit wrote, “Wish you'd met us also Dinesh Gundu Rao - would have shown real truth of Arvind Kejriwal's education, health, finance, environment, water, roads, buses, infra, rampant corruption. Perhaps you could have conveyed this to his new drum beaters in Congress.”

Hours after praising the AAP government's mohalla clinic initiative, the Karnataka health minister on Friday said it was “overhyped”.

The AAP, in a statement, alleged that Rao received a phone call after praising the initiative and thereafter changed his stance.

On Friday, Rao visited the 'Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic' at Panchsheel Park. He was accompanied by Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and Karnataka Bhavan medical officer Karthik, according to an official statement.

Almost four hours after praising the mohalla clinic initiative, the senior Congress leader made a U-turn.

(With inputs from agencies)