Sounding the poll buggle for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, PM Modi on 3rd January 2025 came down heavily on the Aam Admi Party government in Delhi, dubbing it as an Aapda, a calamity. He slammed the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit for rampant corruption.
In an indirect dig at Arvind Kejriwal for building a lavish Chief Ministerial complex, PM Modi stated that while he could have built a “Sheesh Mahal” for himself, his priority has always been to provide homes for the poor.
His remarks was a referrence to reports of exorbitant spending on Delhi CM’s bungalow, including luxury appliances and designer interiors worth crores, which have been at the Centre of political controversy.
“The country knows it well that Modi never built a home for himself but has built more than four crore houses for the poor; ‘mai bhi koi sheeshmahal bana sakta tha’ (even I could have built a Sheeshmahal),” said PM Modi.
PM Modi criticized the AAP government, referring to it as a “calamity on Delhi”. He added, “In the last 10 years, Delhi is surrounded by an ‘aapada’ (disaster). By keeping Anna Hazare at the front, a few ‘kattar beimaan’ (extremely dishonest) people have pushed Delhi towards ‘aapada’. ‘AAP aapada bankar Delhi par toot padi hai’ (AAP has descended as a calamity on Delhi).”
Further, on infrastructure and development, the Prime Minister said that the development of cities would play a crucial role in realizing the goals of Viksit Bharat.
“Today the whole country is engaged in building a ‘developed India’. We are working with the resolve that every citizen of the country should have a permanent house in a Vikshit Bharat. Delhi has a huge role in this resolution, hence the BJP-led central government started a campaign to build permanent houses in place of slums,” he said.
“Our cities play a vital role in developing India. People from far-off places come here with their dreams and spend their lives honestly in fulfilling those dreams. Therefore, the BJP government at the Centre is engaged in providing quality of life to every family living in the cities,” he added.
PM Modi said that 2025 will be the year of strengthening India’s position in the world and making it a premium manufacturing hub.
“Today, India has become a symbol of political and economic stability. This role of India will strengthen even more in 2025. This year will be the year to strengthen India’s position in the world. It will be the year of making India one of the biggest manufacturing centres in the world,” the PM said.
During his address, PM Modi also became emotional and said, “When I am here today, it’s obvious to remember many old memories. When the country was fighting against Indira Gandhi’s dictatorship, for many people like me who were part of the underground movement, Ashok Vihar used to be a place for me to live…”
Also Read: Ahead of assembly elections, PM Modi set to launch Veer Savarkar College in Delhi
Meanwhile, on Friday (3rd January), PM Modi also helmed a slew of development measures including laying the foundation of Veer Savarkar College in Delhi.
