Delhi elections 2015: Arvind Kejriwal a liar, AAP government was a farce: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal is a “liar” and “manipulator”, Rahul Gandhi’s world-view is “coloured by an Italian lens” and Sonia Gandhi “compromised on India’s security”. At BJP chief Amit Shah’s rally in Uttam Nagar on Friday, the broadsides were relentless.

With exactly a week left to the Delhi elections and opinion polls showing AAP inching ahead, Shah made it clear that the time to be nice to rivals has passed.

Shah was scathing in his remarks about Kejriwal. “Unko bahut bholi si soorat diya hain bhagwan ne. Mujhe bhi laga achha aadmi hain, corruption ke khilaf lad rahe hain. Lekin asliyat mein jo log aakrosh mein thhe unko gumrah kiye. (Even I got taken in by his innocent look and thought he is fighting corruption, but he was only exploiting people’s sense of outrage).” With campaigning in its final stage, Shah urged voters to choose between “experience (BJP) and experiment (AAP)”.

The A-36 neighbourhood of Uttam Nagar on Jain Road was turned into a fortress for Shah’s rally with security men deployed on rooftops. It was BJP’s first major rally in the assembly constituency that it won for the first time in 2013.

Besides Shah, area MP Parvesh Verma, and MLAs from Haryana and Rajasthan were on the stage to support BJP candidate Pawan Sharma in front of about 3,000 people.

Shah termed AAP’s 49-day government a farce. “How could Kejriwal have filed an FIR against Sheilaji after taking support from Congress? His government didn’t regularize a single contractual worker. He lied about resign ing because of the Lok Pal Bill.

He actually resigned to contest the general election. In lied in Varanasi also, saying he will continue to work for it even if he lost. But he has never set foot there since polls.” He said Kejriwal should reply to BJP’s daily posers, and if he has any questions they too will reply. “He used to campaign in his WagonR. Now he uses an SUV . If he's elected for five years, you will see an aeroplane in front of his house.Will Delhi vote for a liar or a person (Modi) with a vision for development?“ Shah added.

The crowd cheered when he tore into Rahul Gandhi.“He is asking why the situation on the Kashmir border has not changed after BJP came to power. He says there used to be firing there under the UPA government, and it is happening now as well. Aap ke aakhon mein Italian chashma para hain, aapko farak pata nahin chalega (Rahul's view is coloured by an Italian lens, how will he see the difference?)“. People chanted “Modi-Modi“ when he said, “Woh goli chalate hain udhar se, hum idhar se gola (we reply to their bullets with bombs)“.

The BJP chief said Congress does not matter and it is a straight fight between BJP and AAP . However, the crowd didn't warm to his praise for Kiran Bedi. When Shah said, “Kiran Bedi BJP mein aayi hain, aur khalbali AAP mein hain (Bedi's joining BJP has made AAP nervous)“, some in the audience retorted: “She is too arrogant“.

After the rally , many in the audience were heard saying they came to hear Shah but will vote for AAP . “I am here to hear Amit Shah. I will vote for AAP , but that's only for Kejriwal. I don't even know the local candidate here,“ said Rashmi, a student of IP College.