
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing them of following a similar strategy based on propaganda and false promises.
In a fiery address to a massive crowd at Seelampur, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha officially sounded the poll bugle for the Congress party ahead of the assembly elections in Delhi.
“Kejriwal and Modi have a habit of making grand promises during elections and disappearing once the votes are counted,” Gandhi quipped, asserting that the Congress has consistently stood by the people in times of need.
Gandhi’s speech began by revisiting national topics he has championed, such as the caste-based census, increasing reservation thresholds, and allegations of crony capitalism involving Adani. He accused Modi and Kejriwal of failing to address inflation and the widening wealth gap.
“Inflation is breaking the back of the poor, while the rich are getting richer. Ambani and Adani act as the marketing agents for PM Modi. Have you ever seen either Modi or Kejriwal speaking against Adani? They are silent because they share the same script,” he said.
Gandhi took a direct swipe at Kejriwal, his alliance partner under the INDIA bloc, questioning his commitment to key demands like a caste census and increasing reservations.
"When I talk of caste census, neither Modi says a word nor does Kejriwal because both want that backward sections, Dalits, tribals and minorities do not get their due share (bhaagidari). Ask Kejriwal whether he is with the caste census. Ask Modi ji whether he is with the caste census," Gandhi said.
"You won’t find Dalits, Adivasis, or OBCs represented in the judiciary. Modi and Kejriwal may talk about inclusivity, but only Congress will ensure participation. Let Kejriwal publicly commit to a caste census and reservation expansion. Congress will deliver when in power," he added.
Evoking nostalgia for the Congress-led Sheila Dikshit era, Gandhi criticised Kejriwal for failing to live up to his promises of transforming Delhi.
“When Sheila ji was in power, Delhi was cleaner, healthier, and thriving. Kejriwal came in claiming he’d turn Delhi into Paris. Today, pollution is so high you can’t breathe, and diseases like cancer are on the rise. What happened to his promise of eradicating corruption? Like Modi, Kejriwal thrives on false promises,” he remarked.
"Neither Kejriwal nor the BJP can do what the Congress had done," the Congress leader added.
Concluding his speech, Gandhi urged the people of Delhi to place their trust in Congress once again.
“Bring Congress back to power, and we’ll restore Delhi to its former glory. Neither Kejriwal nor BJP can deliver the development we can,” he promised, closing with “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan!”
The Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA bloc. The two parties had fought the Lok Sabha election together in Delhi, but are contesting the assembly polls separately.
The party's Delhi unit has been targeting the AAP government in Delhi over alleged governance failures, including issues of education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
While the top Congress leadership has so far avoided direct confrontations with AAP in the capital, the tone of Rahul’s speech in Seelampur has set the course for the party’s strategy in the weeks ahead.
Delhi Congress leaders are hopeful that Gandhi’s public address will amplify their aggressive campaign against the AAP’s decade-long rule and would send a strong signal to the public that the party is a strong alternative to the ruling party.
With the rise of AAP, Congress' stake in Delhi's political landscape has shrunk and it failed to open its account in the last two assembly polls.
Elections for the 70 assembly constituencies across Delhi are scheduled to be held on February 5, and the results will be declared on February 8.