BJP leader Parvesh Verma on Thursday (January 16, 2025) rubbished charges of distributing money and items likes shoes and sarees ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, saying the allegations were made out of fear of defeat faced by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.
The BJP leader, who will lock horns with Mr. Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat, said the AAP chief will lose his deposit from the constituency.
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“The BJP is going to form the government in Delhi as people are fed up with the “lies and failures” of Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP),” Mr. Verma told PTI in an interview.
Accusing Mr. Verma of distributing ₹1,100 to women besides shoes, sarees and blankets in the New Delhi constituency, the AAP has demanded action against him by the Election Commission.
"All these allegations are baseless and result of Kejriwal's panic in view of his imminent defeat. He should calmly contest the elections and tell the people of New Delhi about the works done by him," Mr. Verma said.
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On the AAP's allegations of the BJP manipulating the voters' list in New Delhi, he said, "Around 60,000 votes have been deleted between the previous Assembly elections in 2020 and the elections this year. Were these votes deleted by Kejriwal? I wasn't in the constituency at that time."
Kejriwal is "baffled" because he can clearly see his "defeat" in the elections, the BJP leader said, adding that is why he is levelling allegations against him and spreading "lies" every day.
"Kejriwal will lose his deposit when the results are announced on February 8 and will slip to the third place. Sandeep Dikshit of the Congress will secure the second place," he claimed.
Mr. Verma also lashed out at the AAP and Kejriwal for using the word "Dulha" to target the BJP and asking the saffron party about its chief ministerial face.
The AAP has been mocking the BJP calling it “Bin Dulhe Ki Barat” for not having a chief ministerial face in the polls.
"This is absurd to use the term 'Dulha' for the chief ministerial candidate because we consider Delhi our mother. It is disgraceful for him to claim to be 'Delhi ka Dulha'," Mr. Verma said.
The AAP national convener cannot become the chief minister of Delhi again, the BJP leader asserted.
"Kejriwal cannot become the chief minister of Delhi in this life because of his bail condition in the excise policy case. So, he should tell people who is the AAP's CM face - whether its Amantulah Khan, Imran Hussain or Somnath Bharti," he said.
Mr. Verma, the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, emphasised that the BJP would form the next government in Delhi after the announcement of poll results on February 8.
He further said the BJP will take the decision on the chief ministerial candidate after its victory in the polls on February 5.
Mr. Verma, however, said that he was ready to shoulder the responsibility if it fell on him.
"The chief minister of the BJP will be decided by the party's Parliamentary Board and the MLAs. Of course if the party shows confidence in me, I am prepared for that," the former two-time West Delhi MP said.
Mr. Verma said the BJP's priorities after forming the government in Delhi would be to bring the Ladli scheme for women, ensure employment to youth by speeding up recruitment on pending vacancies in the Delhi government, release pending old age and widow pensions, development of rural areas and residential colonies, cleaning Yamuna and strengthening public transport by arranging 15,000 buses.
The Mahila Samman Yojana announced by the AAP for providing ₹2,100 every month to women in the city will have no impact on the Delhi polls, he added.
"Women in New Delhi are saying that AAP promised to provide money in Punjab but failed to do so. How will they implement the Mahila Samman Yojana in Delhi when the Delhi government is running a deficit?" Mr. Verma asked.
The BJP leader said that his priorities for the New Delhi constituency include regularising the NDMC's muster roll and ad hoc employees, arranging employment for youth and providing permanent houses to slum dwellers.
Published - January 16, 2025 07:13 pm IST
