PM Modi: CAA Protests Mirror AAP-Congress Conspiracy

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a frontal attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress for backing the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests at Shaheen Bagh and elsewhere. The Prime Minister addressed his first election meeting at Karkardooma in East Delhi on Monday.PM Modi pointed out that there was a larger conspiracy afoot to destabilise India. This was reflected in the support lent by these opposition parties to violence in Seelampur, Jamia Millia and elsewhere he said. The protests against CAA including the one at Shaheen Bagh were a part of this conspiracy, PM Modi said.

The prime minister also criticised AAP for insulting the armed forces and questioning "Surgical Strikes." PM Modi also accused AAP of indulging in vote bank politics and cited the examples of Batla House encounter, which Arvind Kejriwal's party had called a 'fake encounter', he added.

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi had been blocking the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Delhi, he pointed out. Millions of homes had been built all over the country, under the PMAY scheme, but not one in Delhi due to the stubbornness of the AAP government, PM Modi said. "Don't the poor of Delhi deserve a roof over their heads," he asked the large crowd at the election rally.

Similarly, the poor of Delhi were denied access to the national healthcare scheme, Ayushman Bharat. In doing so, millions of poor in Delhi did not get access to high-quality medical treatment, PM Modi remarked.

PM Modi asserted that if BJP is elected to power, the government would give a new shape to Delhi in tune with the 21st century and the growing aspirations of the country. All central schemes would naturally flow to Delhi because there would be no state government interference, he added.

The development would give a new direction to the country as also the national capital, PM Modi said. BJP believes in politics of development, he added.

PM Modi pointed out that while the country had a Lokpal as a watchdog to check corruption, Delhi does not have one. He alluded to the irony that Arvind Kejriwal had built his reputation as a crusader against corruption. Setting up the office of Lokpal had been one of his long-standing demands, which he dropped once he came to power, PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi also listed out a number of benefits which would accrue to Delhi if a BJP government were to come power in the national capital.