The political feud between former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached a fever pitch on Friday, with Kejriwal delivering a pointed three-point rebuttal to Modi's accusations of corruption against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Modi had referred to AAP as "AAPda" (disaster) during the inauguration of a housing project for slum dwellers in Delhi, alleging a series of scams under the AAP government.
Kejriwal countered by labeling the BJP itself as the real disaster, outlining three key criticisms: the BJP's lack of a chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, its absence of a compelling narrative, and the void of a concrete agenda for the upcoming Delhi elections.
Modi's critique focused on alleged corruption scandals under AAP, including a liquor scam, school mismanagement, and pollution issues. The Prime Minister framed AAP as a calamity for Delhi, while also emphasizing his dedication to providing permanent housing for the city's underprivileged. Modi took a subtle swipe at Kejriwal by stating that his dream was to secure permanent homes for the poor instead of constructing luxurious palaces.
Kejriwal, however, hit back by questioning Modi’s own record, remarking on the reported cost of the Prime Minister’s official residence and other personal expenditures. "Talk of a sheeshmahal doesn’t seem appropriate from someone who built a house worth ₹2,700 crore, flies in a ₹8,400 crore plane, and wears ₹10 lakh suits," he quipped.
Addressing the housing project inaugurated by Modi, Kejriwal scrutinized the BJP's track record on its promises. He noted that in 2020, the BJP had pledged pucca houses for all in Delhi by 2022. However, only 4,700 homes had been delivered in the last five years—a far cry from the needs of over 15 lakh people residing in Delhi's 4 lakh slum clusters. "Their manifesto seems to have been written for 200 years, not five," Kejriwal remarked.
The former Chief Minister also criticized Modi for dedicating the majority of his speech to attacking the Delhi government, saying, "The Prime Minister spent 39 minutes of his 43-minute speech abusing us. If I start listing the development work done by AAP in Delhi over the past 10 years, even three hours won’t suffice."
The exchange underscores the high stakes as both parties gear up for the upcoming Delhi elections, with the housing crisis and allegations of corruption emerging as key battleground issues.
