Delhi Polls In Sight, Amit Shah Warns Tukde Tukde Gang For Anti-CAA Protests

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah's warning to the Congress and other opposition parties on Thursday, that the people of Delhi would teach the Tukde Tukde gang a lesson is a loaded message. It is a clear indicator of the direction the BJP's poll campaign in Delhi is likely to take. Delhi is set to go to polls in less than two months from now.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Arvind Kejriwal stormed to power in 2015 with a massive mandate winning 67 out of 70 seats in the state assembly. The BJP trailed far behind with 3 seats, upsetting the calculations of all political pundits. The Congress, as it turned out, was nowhere in the frame once the results were out.

The AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, released a report card, quite similar to one given to students, on Tuesday. Kejriwal claimed that the AAP government had delivered on promises it made especially in the fields of healthcare, education, electricity and water. He listed out his government's notable achievements, "terming it in the most honest in the country since Independence."

The Aam Aadmi Party is on a door-to-door campaign in an attempt to reach 35 lakh households. AAP will not be pleased with the anti-CAA protests which have proved to be polarizing in some ways. It is wary of any such factor tipping the scales in favour of the BJP. The Congress campaign is hobbled by absence of effective leadership in Delhi.

As for the BJP, for the first time since 2014, the Narendra Modi government finds itself on the back foot when it comes to dealing with protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in many parts of the country including Delhi. Several opposition parties including the Congress have been spearheading protests seeking a revocation of the act, claiming that it is discriminatory. From the Home Minister's statement, the BJP appears set to use the anti-CAA protests to its advantage in its campaign against the opposition in the upcoming Delhi polls.