Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a bold and assertive statement on Tuesday, confidently declared that both Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi would lose their respective seats in the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections set for February 5. Shah, while speaking to India Today TV, expressed his firm belief that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not only emerge victorious but would also form a "double-engine government" in Delhi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the charge. He emphasized that the BJP, under Modi’s leadership, was determined to bring a transformative change to the national capital, replacing the current administration that he accused of having failed Delhi in multiple key areas of governance.
Shah’s criticism of the AAP government was sharp and direct, with the BJP leader accusing Kejriwal and his party of perpetuating a series of "lies" over the past decade that, according to him, have stymied progress and development in the city. He claimed that under the current regime, which had been in power for ten years, the people of Delhi had been deprived of necessary development initiatives. He argued that Delhi had seen no significant improvements in infrastructure across all segments of the city, including villages, slums, and central urban areas. Instead of addressing crucial issues such as water supply, healthcare, and education, Shah contended that AAP’s strategy had been limited to the distribution of cash incentives, which he said had little to no impact on the long-term development of the city.
Shah was especially critical of Kejriwal's focus on welfare schemes, saying that while these programs may have provided short-term relief, they were not sufficient to address Delhi's pressing infrastructure needs. In contrast, Shah promised that the BJP would adopt a more holistic and balanced approach, one that integrated the expansion and improvement of infrastructure alongside welfare initiatives for the city's underprivileged communities. He also stressed that the BJP was committed to continuing welfare programs for the people of Delhi but would ensure that these did not come at the cost of essential development in sectors such as water, education, and healthcare.
Further intensifying his attack, Shah took aim at Kejriwal’s recent accusations regarding the water contamination issue. Kejriwal had alleged that the BJP-led Haryana government was deliberately “mixing poison” in the Yamuna River, a claim he described as a form of "biological warfare" intended to harm the people of Delhi. In response, Shah vehemently denied the allegations, labeling them as baseless and politically motivated. He challenged Kejriwal and AAP to provide evidence of the alleged contamination, specifically demanding test reports to identify the supposed poison. Shah also pointed out the logical inconsistency of Kejriwal’s claims, suggesting that if the Haryana government had indeed halted the water supply to Delhi, it would have resulted in flooding in nearby villages in Haryana—a scenario that he believed Kejriwal had failed to consider.
Shah’s response also included a legal dimension, as he confirmed that the BJP had already filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission over Kejriwal’s statements. He also revealed that the Haryana government was preparing to file a case against Kejriwal for spreading false and misleading information that could cause unnecessary panic among the residents of Delhi. Shah expressed his frustration at what he perceived as Kejriwal’s attempt to exploit the situation for political gain by sowing discord and fear within the electorate.
As the election campaign heats up, the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5 have become a critical contest for both the BJP and AAP. The voting will take place on February 5, with the results expected to be announced on February 8. For both parties, this election represents a high-stakes battle for control of the 70-member Delhi Assembly, with each side eager to secure the support of the city’s diverse electorate. The BJP is aiming to capitalize on what it sees as AAP’s failures in governance, while Kejriwal and his party are positioning themselves as the champions of Delhi's development, especially in sectors like education and healthcare, which they have traditionally touted as key areas of success during their tenure in power. The outcome of this election will have significant implications not only for the future of Delhi's governance but also for the broader political landscape in India.
