Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu was full of wisecracks at a roadshow in Karol Bagh on Sunday for the party’s candidate from the New Delhi constituency, Ajay Maken.
The target of his jokes was Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Thoko tali [clap],” remarked Mr. Sidhu after each punchline.
For shoppers and shopkeepers in Karol Bagh, the sight of Mr. Sidhu came as a pleasant surprise with many stepping out their stores to take selfies with him.
“I have seen movies like Biwi No. 1, Hero No.1, Khiladi No. 1...Mr. Modi’s upcoming film is going to be called Pheku [fake] No. 1. Thoko tali [clap],” he said, referring to a biopic on the Prime Minister, which has been put on hold by the Election Commission.
Taunts BJP’s slogan
Taunting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign slogan, he asked the crowd to say bass kar yaar [stop it] when anyone tells them ab ki bar [next time].
Mr. Sidhu attacked the Prime Minister for not fulfilling various promises made during the previous election like transferring ₹15 lakh into each person’s account and providing over two crore jobs.
“What did you get? Baba ji ka thulla? [nothing] Thoko tali. He also attacked the Prime Minister on his relationships with industrialists. The large corporates are getting away by not paying huge loans but farmers are being jailed for failing to pay sums as small as ₹2,000, he said.
Gujarat riots
The leader also brought up the 2000 Gujarat riots, saying that while Mr. Modi was making riots there, the then Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit was building a metro in Delhi.
He also criticised the use of the Army for political purposes. “Don’t shoot political arrows from the defence’s shoulders, they are meant for protecting the country, not for elections,” he said.
‘Most promising MP’
At the end, he hailed Mr. Maken as “the most promising MP, who was well informed and not just some gunga pehelwan [dumb wrestler].”
Mr. Maken raised the issue of sealing, which had been a cause of concern for traders in the city. Referring to Mr. Modi’s chowkidar [security guard] comment, he said the roadshow and the election must be to “get rid of chowkidar and sealing”.