Thousands attend Delhi rally as PM says Kejriwal bound to take citizens for a ride
Harping on his government's commitment and work for the poor through schemes such as direct trasfer of LPG subisdy and Jan Dhan Yojana, prime minister Narendra Modi appealed to voters to hand the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) a full majority in the upcoming Delhi elections to avenge the "backstabbing" Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for their 49-day government.
Modi was speaking at his second Delhi election rally at Karkarduma, east Delhi, and the first after the BJP announced Kiran Bedi as their chief ministerial candidate. "A year ago the people whom you showed faith in, backstabbed you and brought instability upon Delhi. But, you compensated for that by giving us seven members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha elections. This time too, don't trust those who cheated you and vote the BJP into a full majority government," said PM Modi.
Sharpening his attack on Arvind Kejriwal, Modi likened him to a cheat who took Delhi's people for a ride. The prime minister added that in the "able hands of Kiran Bedi, a determined person who knows Delhi in and out, Delhi would be taken to new heights." Saturday's rally saw a crowd of close to 10,000 people, many of whom were party workers and supporters brought in from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
Similar to his poll pitch during his first campaign rally at Ramlila Ground, Modi's speech revolved around the issues of slum voters and the lower-middle class, making it evident that the BJP has taken note of AAP's popularity among these voter constituencies. Referring to the direct benefits transfer for LPG, Modi said, "We have cut out middlemen and directly deposited LPG subsidy in nine crore accounts and soon." Stressing on the government's promise of providing concrete houses for slum dwellers, the prime minister said, "Houses for the poor would be built on the same space where they live right now. We won't displace the poor because I know their bread is closer to their homes."
While most BJP leaders including Amit Shah spoke on regularising unauthorised colonies, CM candidate Bedi focused solely on women's safety. "During my campaining, everywhere, women are concerned about their security. I have assured them of concrete steps." She added, "If I become the CM, within three days you will see home guards and civil defence personnel deployed for women's safety and reporting issues. We will enhance the security measures with the available resources."
Delhi votes in a week on February 7 and PM Modi will address three more rallies at Dwarka, Rohini and one in south Delhi before that.
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