New Delhi (India), December 31: The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, putting up posters outside its office that target the party’s decade-long rule in the city.
The posters, titled “Bhrashtaachaar Ke Tees Maar Khaan” (Master of Corruption), accuse AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, along with senior leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain, of involvement in corruption. The BJP claims that Kejriwal made significant profits through the alleged liquor scam, increasing the profit margin for liquor contractors from 5% to 125%.
The BJP also slammed Manish Sisodia, the Education Minister, for his alleged role in the liquor scam while he was in charge of education. They accuse him of secretly meeting with industrialists to implement the controversial liquor policy. Additionally, the BJP has accused Sisodia of being directly involved in the scam, leading to his arrest.
The BJP also criticized Satyendra Jain, accusing him of corruption linked to an alleged money laundering case and using hawala channels to make money.
The BJP further attacked the ‘Delhi Model’ of governance, which it claims has led to increased corruption among AAP ministers, pointing out that Delhi has the highest number of ministers jailed compared to any other state in India. The party also criticized AAP for its alleged control over the water supply, accusing it of being involved in the “Tanker Mafia” and for making Delhi’s water supply the most expensive in the country. The BJP also mentioned the overflowing Ghazipur landfill, calling it the largest in the country.
As the Delhi Assembly elections in February 2024 draw closer, political tensions are rising, with the BJP, AAP, and Congress all intensifying their attacks. In the 2015 elections, AAP secured a historic 67 out of 70 seats, followed by 62 seats in the 2020 elections. The BJP managed to increase its seat count from three to eight, while Congress failed to win a single seat for the second consecutive time.
On Monday, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj criticized the Delhi government after meeting Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over the plight of Anganwadi and Asha workers. She called it “shameful” that Anganwadi workers had not been paid for seven months and that Asha workers’ stipends had not been increased. “Asha workers are working for only Rs 3,000 per month, and their stipend has not been increased,” said Swaraj. “The AAP government is not paying attention to their concerns.”
In response, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor advised the AAP government to increase the stipend for Asha workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 9,000 per month, highlighting that the last stipend revision occurred in 2018, although it was supposed to happen every three years. The LG also called for the immediate release of salaries for Anganwadi supervisors.