Assembly poll a dharmayudh against BJP’s money, muscle power: Kejriwal

Former Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the upcoming Delhi Assembly election is a dharmayudh (war of righteousness) to protect the Capital’s progress against the BJP’s “money and muscle power”.

Addressing AAP workers at a programme in Civil Lines, he also assured that candidates for the election will be picked on the basis of their potential to win and performance.

“I will not give tickets to any relative, acquaintance, or a friend. There will be no nepotism. I will evaluate candidates based on their work, public perception, and winnability,” Mr. Kejriwal said speaking on the ticket distribution for the election due in February next year.

Slamming the BJP, Mr. Kejriwal said it had “meticulously planned” to win the recently held mayoral polls despite lacking numbers needed to ensure the victory of its candidates.

‘God is with us’

“The BJP has immense money and muscle power. They even employed dirty tactics to gain victory in the mayoral elections,” he said. Mr. Kejriwal claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to address the BJP cadre had the party won the polls, to give the impression of having wrested Delhi from AAP.

“But God is with us. He wielded his sudarshan chakra, and we won by three votes,” he said, adding that his party is following the “path of truth”, which would ensure their victory in the poll.

Citing free services being provided to people by the AAP government, he said the BJP calls these revdis (freebies).

‘Voters value our work’

“Yes, we provide six free revdis that Delhiites value and demand. The BJP rules in 20 States and they do not provide any of these services in any of those States,” he said, citing free electricity, water, bus rides for women, a pilgrimage scheme for the elderly, health and education facilities.

Mr. Kejriwal said his party has been able to launch the welfare programmes despite not having full control of the Capital, where the Centre controls the police and bureaucracy through the Lieutenant-Governor. “Despite this, AAP ensured 24-hour power supply, quality schools, free health care, CCTV cameras, and streetlights,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published - November 20, 2024 01:05 am IST