PM takes on Shaheen protesters in poll pitch
FIRST RALLY Says organisers violating spirit of same Constitution they claim to defend
benefit Delhi and its various demographic segments.
He argued that the government’s welfare schemes have not been able to reach the citizens of Delhi because of obstacles put forth by the AAP government. And he made a special appeal to Purvanchalis — people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who have made Delhi their home.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the BJP was harping on Shaheen Bagh because it had no other issue to fight the election on, adding the job of the Delhi government was primarily to improve schools and hospitals.
The PM’S election speech came at a time when the contest in Delhi has intensified, with sharp exchanges between the BJP and the AAP. While AAP has focused on its governance record, particularly on health and education, the BJP had questioned AAP’S claims, and also sought to project the Shaheen Bagh protests as a key issue in what rivals allege is a ploy to “polarise” the electorate.
“There have been protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Seelampur, Jamia and Shaheen Bagh. Are these protests a coincidence? No, this is an experiment. There is a political design behind it. If it was just against the law, the protests would have ended after the government’s assurance,” Modi said, adding that both the AAP and the Congress were playing political games.
“They keep the Constitution and the national flag in front, but this is to distract from the real agenda. The judiciary functions on the basis of the Constitution. The spirit of judicial decisions has been that protests should not inconvenience people, should not vandalise public property, should not cause destruction. But they don’t care about this.”
The protests, he claimed, caused great inconvenience and pain to commuters in Delhi. “Voters are silent, but they are angry at this vote bank politics. This mindset will have to be stopped. If the conspirators become strong, there will be other roads which will be blocked. Delhi has to fight this mindset. A vote for BJP will do this.”