Goel has asked CM to meet with MPs every 15 days

With Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal extending an olive branch to opposition leaders during his swearing-in ceremony, the BJP central leadership is also learnt to have asked the state leadership to tone down the aggression and appear more conciliatory.

A party leader said that while they will continue pressing their demands, such as money from the Delhi government to the MCDs and implementation of central schemes in Delhi, the approach will now be less combative.

To this end, Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel has requested Kejriwal to meet the seven BJP MPs from Delhi every 15 days so they can contribute to the capital’s development. Similarly, MP Gautam Gambhir has written a letter to Kejriwal asking him to visit the Ghazipur landfill with him so they can think of solutions.

However, this does not mean that the party has changed its stand on the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest, and firmly believes that the road blockade should be resolved, said the leader.

Earlier, Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari had said he hopes central schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will be implemented in the capital.

A senior BJP leader said the state unit has been told to refrain from personal attacks on the CM.

Kejriwal had met Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, and, following the meeting, he said that issues related to Delhi’s development were discussed.

“BJP and AAP have a lot of voters in common, which is why you see BJP getting above 50% votes in Lok Sabha and AAP above 50% in Vidhan Sabha. This section doesn’t like personal attack on either PM Modi or Kejriwal,” said the leader.

The BJP got 57% vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, winning all seven seats, while AAP won 62 seats in the Assembly polls, with a 54% vote share.

Going forward, the BJP’s attack will be focused on “policy and not personality”, said the leader.