Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath raised the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national security and counter-terrorism pitches besides taking on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at two back-to-back public meetings here on Tuesday.
Mr. Adityanath addressed two public events in support of the party’s candidates for the East and West Delhi Lok Sabha seats – former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir and sitting MP Parvesh Verma respectively – drawing significant crowds at both locations.
Slams Kejriwal
At both events, Mr. Adityanath, in addition to crediting the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for ensuring that no major terror attack struck any Indian city over the last five years, asked whether Mr. Kejriwal was the head of the Capital’s administration or of “dharnas and demonstrations.”
Addressing a rally at east Delhi’s Mandawali, Mr. Adityanath said the party was “confident”, and that he had travelled to the Capital to ensure that Mr. Gambhir would open the BJP’s “victory tally in Delhi” just as he used to open for team India in the international cricket.
“I am surprised at the question whether the Chief Minister of Delhi occupies that post for the development of the city or to undertake dharnas and demonstrations. Delhi is the Capital of the country and its government has to work with the Centre to ensure its development but it looks like the Delhi government is not concerned about the development of the city. Delhi has become a city of potholes,” the UP CM alleged.
National security
“Modi ji triggered the very international pressure which led to the global ban on [Maulana] Masood Azhar. You will also see that he meets the same fate as that of Osama [bin Laden]. Earlier, bomb blasts used to rip across Indian cities; but, over the last five years, have you ever heard of any such incident occurring in any city? This is Modi ji’ s policy. He has made the country safer,” Mr. Adityanath said.
Addressing the rally, Mr. Gambhir, seeking the people’s mandate, asked for a chance to prove himself and accused Mr. Kejriwal of making “false plans” as he “hid” behind AAP’s pitch of full statehood.
“...I wasn’t scared a bit of Pakistan (while playing cricket) then who on earth is Kejriwal? Let me work for four and a half years. Then I will debate on whatever platform you call me to. I played cricket for 15 years in the country but just in 15 hours of my nomination, Kejriwal put so many allegations on me that I did not experience in 15 years,” he said.
Reminds people of blasts
Later, at west Delhi’s Vikaspuri, Mr. Adityanath asked attendees whether they wanted a Delhi which was used to bomb blasts or one where the policies of Mr. Modi had put a stop to such incidents.
“Whenever the Centre makes any good policy for the city, Mr. Kejriwal sits on a dharna . He is not concerned about the development of the city. Every vote for Mr. Verma is not just for him but for Mr. Modi,” Mr. Adityanath said in support of his party’s candidate.
Verma credits people
Mr. Verma then took the stage to credit the people of the country for the “end of terrorism” even as he claimed the people of the Capital were ready to “end the hooliganism of AAP.”
“The real credit for it goes to the people whom in 2014, pressed the button bearing the lotus and brought the BJP to power. The hooliganism of the Kejriwal government is all pervasive in the city at the moment but the people will ensure that this too ends during the [upcoming] Assembly polls,” he said.
