Launching a fresh attack on Narendra Modi, AAP leader Rajmohan Gandhi on Thursday said the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate should come clean on his election funding and subject himself to media scrutiny on his so-called achievements.
Mr. Gandhi said that he was in favour of AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal taking on Mr. Modi in Varanasi since the Gujarat Chief Minister was under the impression that nobody was willing to challenge him.
“Nobody was taking him (Mr. Modi) on. He has never met any journalist for any frank questions, except for a pre-arranged special interview. Very few journalists have had the opportunity to ask him questions like that. He had become beyond attack, but now Arvind Kejriwal has asked some basic questions which have occurred to everybody”, Mr. Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said.
“He has these huge rallies and travels in a chartered plane. Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong in that, there could be a good reason for that. But you should say who pays for the rally,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi, a noted academician, said that Mr. Modi’s claims did not match with reality.
“His claims are inconsistent with the record. Suppose, he had done anything on corruption in Gujarat then he could say I will solve corruption. There is no suggestion that he did that,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi, who takes on two-time MP from Congress Sandeep Dixit, who has represented East Delhi since 2004, said that he chose to contest from that constituency only after consultation with the party.
“East Delhi was chosen in consultation with the party. East Delhi has been strong in support of the Aam Aadmi Party. It also has an important link with UP, and has industries. Its population is from all parts of India.”
Mr. Gandhi, who begun campaigning in East Delhi a couple of weeks back, noted that the constituency lacked infrastructure.
“It is greatly in need of infrastructure and there is a challenge. There is a long list of problems. Sanitation is a problem, parking of vehicle, water sewage, insecurity of women and it is not well protected. Half of Okhla pays Rs. 2000 a month per home for drinking water because there is no water available,” he said, adding that these problems could be addressed only in cooperation with MLAs, Municipal Corporation and DDA.
