Campaigning ends in Delhi; BJP focuses more on opponents rather than development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Delhi Pradesh BJP president Manoj Tiwari and others at an election rally in East Delhi on February 3.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign for the Delhi Assembly election was less about development and more a blindfolded attack against its opponents, especially on the protests against the Constitution (Amendment) Act. The campaigning ends today for the February 8 election.

Top BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, made the Delhi government the main target of their attack for all that was wrong in the State. The Prime Minister, addressing a well-attended rally at Karkardooma on February 3, took the lead in attacking the BJP’s opponents in the strongest possible words. A number of BJP candidates also addressed the crowd and raised slogans like Rasthravaad Jeethega aur Shaheen Bagh haarega and Modi hein toh Mumkin hein.

The Prime Minister said that those who were suspicious of whom the people of Delhi support only needed to visit the rally. He reminded the crowd that this election would decide the future course of Delhi in this decade and take it to new heights of prosperity. He made the promise of Jahaan Jhuggi waheen makaan and held the Aam Aadmi Party-led State government responsible for not implementing the Pradhaan Mantri Awas Yojana in Delhi. Towards the end of his speech, he spoke about the protests at Jamia and Shaheen Bagh, underlining them as staged protests to meet political ends patronised by the Congress and the AAP.

Home Minister Amit Shah, in his election rallies, targeted the anti-CAA protests and the opposition to the policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre. He played the nationalism card to the hilt, positioning the election as a battle between two parties who sympathised with Pakistan and those who were ready to sacrifice their lives for Hindustan.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed a few rallies. He praised the government of Uttar Pradesh and the Central government for fulfilling the long-standing promise of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said “the Kejriwal government that was not able to give the people of Delhi decent water to drink was busy serving Biryani to those who were protesting at Shaheen Bagh” . He emphasised that the BJP would not withdraw the CAA as this would be against the interest of “Akhand Bharat”. He alleged that those who were supporting terrorists in Kashmir were coming to Shaheen Bagh and raising slogans of Azadi. He added that those who spoke in favour of Pakistan should be prepared to take bullets.

Rahul Gopinath