New Delhi:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday assailed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying its government has turned Delhi into a “garbage dump” and “den of chaos” while helping illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas to settle down in the national capital.
Addressing his first rally in the Kirari area for the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls, Adityanath alleged that in a well-planned conspiracy, AAP deprived Delhiites of basic facilities and jeopardised national security with their actions.
He also accused AAP’s councillors and MLAs of being complicit in the entire plot, adding that AAP convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has committed the crime of converting the Yamuna into a “dirty drain”.
“Yesterday, I along with all my ministers took a holy dip at the Sangam in Prayagraj where Maha Kumbh is on. I want to ask Kejriwal whether he can bathe in the Yamuna in Delhi along with his ministers. He should answer if he has any moral courage,” CM Yogi said in Kirari.
The chief minister alleged that the devotees and saints in holy Mathura-Vrindavan are also victims of AAP’s “sins” of AAP as “Mother Yamuna” reaches there in the form of a dirty drain.
He alleged that “Arvind Kejriwal and company” never cooperated for the cleanliness of the Yamuna under the Namami Gange project.
They do not want to cooperate or undertake development works and provide basic facilities, Yogi charged. “Their (AAP) only job is to spread lies and videos through social media and press conferences to mislead the people.” The UP chief minister held three rallies in Kirari, Karol Bagh and Janakpuri in the national capital on Thursday.
Taking a dig at Mr Kejriwal, CM Yogi said there is an “ATM machine of lies” in Delhi.
He also slammed AAP alleging poor condition of roads, lack of sanitation, problems of drinking water and sewer overflows in the national capital.
CM Yogi further claimed that the UP roads in Noida and Ghaziabad are far better than in the national capital.
He said the per unit charge of electricity in UP for an ordinary consumer is not more than Rs 3-3.50 while it is Rs 9-10 per unit in Delhi. It means they (Delhi) are charging three times more money than UP but they are unable to provide a 24-hour power supply, he added.
Yogi Adityanath urged people to defeat those who are playing with them, making Delhi filthy and playing with national security. They have no right to come back to power, he said.
Except for the New Delhi Municipal Council area where round-the-clock power supply is ensured by the Centre, the power cuts in the remaining parts are more than in many other metros and cities of the country.
He appealed to the people to form the double engine government of BJP and give Delhi a chance to become one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Hitting back at CM Yogi, Mr Kejriwal sought to know during an election rally how many hours power cut lasts in Uttar Pradesh, alleging poor governance under the saffron party.
“I have just asked so many people and they are telling me that in Delhi, electricity is available for 24 hours. Our (AAP) government has been in Delhi for 10 years. We ensured that Delhi had 24-hour electricity within just 5 years.
“In Uttar Pradesh, BJP has been in power for 10 years with a double engine government. I would like to humbly ask Yogi ji, how many hours of power cuts occur in Uttar Pradesh?” Mr Kejriwal said sarcastically at the rally in Delhi’s Hari Nagar.
Addressing another rally in Karol Bagh, CM Yogi accused the AAP leaders of settling Bangladeshi infiltrators in Okhla and other important places in the national capital.
The AAP office-bearers and MLAs had settled Bangladeshi infiltrators on the land of the irrigation department of the UP government around Jamia Nagar two years ago, he alleged.
“I tried two to three times to explain that the land belonged to the UP government and when they forced their way, I had to send bulldozers from UP to remove them and get the land barricaded,” he said.
The UP chief minister said he would provide land for any institution or facility for the people of Delhi but would not give even one inch of land in Delhi for the foreign infiltrators.
Alleging that AAP and Mr Kejriwal were betraying the country, CM Yogi said he believed Delhi people would no longer believe their misleading statements.
Delhi is slated for a triangular contest between the ruling AAP and opposition BJP and Congress for 70 Assembly seats going to polls on February 5.
The results will be declared after the counting of votes on February 8.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
