Taking repeated jabs at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party President J.P. Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed campaign rallies in various parts of the city on Thursday (January 23, 2025). Mr. Adityanath accused the AAP of stalling development in the Capital city over the last decade while Mr. Nadda told people that Delhi will soon be rid of the corrupt “AAP-da” party.

The BJP president told people that AAP, which was born out of an anti-corruption movement, in the past 10 years has used the opportunity to cross all records of corruptions. “We all remember how former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would talk about education, but those who talked about education went to jail after the liquor scam,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Adityanath hit out at the AAP leadership calling them out for the condition of the Yamuna river flowing through Delhi. “As a Chief Minister if I and my Ministers can take a dip in the Sangam [in Prayagraj], then I ask Kejriwal if his Cabinet can also go and take a dip in the Yamuna along with his Ministers.”

Pointing out to the people in attendance at the rally that AAP is “distributing Aadhaar cards to infiltrators”, Mr. Adityanath said “illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are being resettled in Delhi in the Okhla area of Delhi by the AAP”. “U.P. is developing in all directions because BJP has a double engine government there,” he added.

While Mr. Nadda used the rally to talk about alleged scams in the capital, the U.P. CM asked people to bring in a “double engine government” for the better of the city.

He accused the AAP of conducting various scams in all arenas. “As [Union] Health Minister, I am telling you the condition of their Mohalla clinics, where they conducted so many fake tests and committed scams involving fake medicines worth ₹300 crore,” Mr. Nadda added.

“We can see he (Kejriwal) is panicking now, but what about the five years of scam worth ₹500 crore he did related to panic buttons in taxis in the capital. In ration cards, they did scam worth ₹5,400 crore and scams worth ₹4,500 crore were done while buying buses. Kejriwal used to say he would put CCTV cameras, but even that was a scam. And not just that, Kejriwal keeps talking about Muslim brothers, but even in Waqf Board, he did ₹100 crore scam. They have not left anyone,” Mr. Nadda said listing out the “scams” of the AAP, stating that all Mr. Kejriwal did was “lie even after going to jail”.

Criticising the AAP further, Mr. Nadda said the party used to speak up against corruption issues but all their senior leadership, including their CM, Deputy CM and other senior Ministers, went to jail one by one.

Blaming the AAP for the situation in Delhi, Mr. Adityanath compared the situation of the Yamuna to a drain. He claimed that the roads in the National Capital are dilapidated and full of potholes but added that if one comes to Prayagraj, they would find great roads with no dirt to be seen anywhere, and electricity will be available all the time.

He said AAP has no answers to the BJP’s questions of development work because they have not done anything at all. “They talk about giving money to pujaris now, but previously, they had promised money to maulvis, but they failed to do that too.”

“Delhi will not accept this failed government anymore, which is why the BJP will come to power in the capital. Once Delhi has a double engine government too, Delhi will become like U.P. in terms of development, and like everyone is flocking to U.P. now, they will come to Delhi too,” Mr. Adityanath added.

The BJP leaders were addressing rallies in Uttam Nagar, Janakpuri, Kirari and Shakur Basti constituencies. Polls in Delhi are scheduled for February 5. The BJP is hoping to form a government in the Capital after nearly 28 years.

Addressing a rally in Hari Nagar in west Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal said: “Today, Yogi Adityanathji is in Delhi. I want to ask Yogiji, I asked so many people and they are saying that there is 24-hours electricity in Delhi. Our government has been in Delhi for 10 years. We made sure that Delhi has 24-hour electricity in five years. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has been in power for 10 years, they have a ‘double-engine’ government. I want to ask Yogiji, how many hours of power cuts happen in Uttar Pradesh?”

“I came to know that in Noida there are power cuts for six hours. In Lucknow, there are power cuts for eight hours. In Uttar Pradesh, there are power cuts for 10 hours [a day]. The work your Kejriwal has done, the BJP has been unable to do it in the 20 States in which they are in power. In Gujarat, they have been in power for 30 years, but they are not able to give electricity for 24 hours,” the AAP chief said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also participated in roadshows in Palam and Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituencies. He appealed to the public to ensure a decisive victory for BJP with a massive majority.

Mr. Dhami said the overwhelming enthusiasm and support from the public in the roadshow clearly indicates that the people of Delhi want change. For the past 10 years, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has only engaged in “deception and false politics”, while the BJP has “consistently worked for the development and welfare of the people”, he said, adding that the people of Delhi will vote for BJP in this election to make Delhi more powerful, prosperous, and developed.