As the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections approach, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have intensified their verbal sparring, with AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanging sharp criticisms.
AAP’s Criticism of BJP’s Housing Promises
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj took aim at the BJP over its unfulfilled housing promises. He accused the party of failing to deliver on its commitment to provide permanent housing for all by 2022. Bharadwaj stated:
“BJP had promised that everyone in the country will have a permanent house by 2022. Now, in 2025, they are giving away just 1,675 flats. This is a humiliation for the poor.”
He also alleged that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Railways, under the central government, displaced thousands of slum dwellers, leaving them homeless:
“The central government’s DDA and Railways have displaced lakhs of poor people who are now sleeping under flyovers and in night shelters.”
Bharadwaj challenged the central government to take action against officials responsible for these displacements and demanded accountability.
AAP’s Reaction to College Foundation Stone
On the foundation stone for a college named after VD Savarkar, Bharadwaj mocked the timing:
“He is just laying the foundation of the college right now. Let us see how long it takes to complete and who is in power when it is inaugurated.”
PM Modi’s Counterattack
Addressing a rally in Ashok Vihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the AAP for allegedly damaging school education in Delhi:
“Those who have been in power in Delhi for the last 10 years have damaged school education. The current government hasn’t even spent half of the funds allocated by the central government for education.”
PM Modi also took a jab at AAP’s origins, referring to its leader Arvind Kejriwal and the Anna Hazare movement:
“In the last 10 years, Delhi has been surrounded by an ‘Aapda’ (disaster). By keeping Anna Hazare at the front, a few ‘kattar beimaan’ (hardcore dishonest) people have pushed Delhi towards disaster.”
Key Election Themes
The housing issue, education reforms, and the symbolism of the new college are shaping up to be central themes in the upcoming elections. AAP is focusing on the BJP’s unmet promises and alleged displacement of the poor, while the BJP is highlighting what it claims are AAP’s governance failures and mismanagement of central funds.
Both parties are ramping up efforts to capture the public’s attention and loyalty, setting the stage for a highly charged electoral battle in Delhi.