PM Narendra Modi unable to digest Delhi defeat: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to scuttle development work in Delhi because he had not digested the 2015 electoral rout here.

"Modi is not letting any stone unturned to ensure that development is stalled in Delhi," the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) leader said in a brief speech after inaugurating a flyover in west Delhi.

"He could not digest the defeat in Delhi. So he has unleashed the entire state machinery against us," Kejriwal said.

The 3.40-km flyover, which connects Vikaspuri and Meera Bagh, was set to originally cost Rs 560 crore but it finally cost Rs 450 crore, a saving of Rs 110 crore, the Chief Minister said.

The bridge, officials said, will reduce travel time from the present over 30 minutes to 12 minutes. It is also one of the few flyovers with the facility to harvest rainwater.

Challenging Modi to "stop me if you can", Kejriwal said the Prime Minister had assigned his Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra to monitor all the files of Delhi government to find flaws but could not find any which could be translated into a corruption charge.

"They tried to delay developmental works like flyover and Mohalla Clinics. If this continues, the AAP will soon be there in Punjab and Gujarat," he said, referring to the states where assembly elections are due next year.

Calling the ongoing tussle with the Centre a "Dharm Yudh" (War of righteousness), Kejriwal said while the Modi regime had police, CBI, IB, RAW and Income Tax wing with it, the Delhi government's only weapon was truth.

The Kejriwal and Modi governments have been locked in a bitter battle over issues of governance and jurisdiction. The AAP accuses Modi of using Delhi Police to harass and arrest its legislators and activists.