Vote out those who doubted surgical and air strikes: PM
NEWDELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the people of Delhi need a government that doesn’t engage in appeasement politics, and supports the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and the nullification of Article 370. Modi also listed the work done by the Centre in the national capital at an election rally.
Without naming the AAP at the rally in Dwarka, Modi urged people to “vote out” those who “raised doubts over surgical strikes”, supported anarchism and stalled Centre’s development schemes in Delhi. In the speech ahead of the February 8 assembly elections, the PM said: “Are the people of Delhi not angry at the way leaders of the state government had made statements after the surgical and air strikes?” It was a reference to the September 2016 strikes against militant launch pads across the border, and the February 2019 air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan. Haryana’s deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala and BJP chief JP Nadda were also present at the rally.
“Delhi needs a government that will not resort to appeasement but support the CAA, nullification of Article 370 and issues of national security. Delhi does not want complicated politics, but sorted politics,” Modi said. Article 370’s nullification divested J&K of its special status under the Constitution.
The AAP won 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly polls in 2015. The BJP won three seats. “I have full faith in the people of Delhi that they will punish the same people who are seeking their votes on February 8… To make Delhi safe, free from anarchy and violence and to make it a world-class capital of the 21st century, I would request you to press the lotus button (BJP’s election symbol) on polling day,” he added.The PM said the BJP won’t wait for elections to deliver on its promises. “Delhi needs a government that can give a new direction to the city and not make excuses. It needs a government that believes in problem-solving instead of posing hurdles. It needs a government which believes in taking everyone along,” he said.
The PM’s speech came at a time when contest in Delhi has intensified, with sharp exch-anges between the BJP and the AAP. While the AAP has focused on its governance record, particularly on health and education, the BJP has questioned AAP’s claims, and sought to project national issues, including CAA.