PM Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Ramlila Grounds in poll-bound Delhi. (Press Trust of India photo)
At a massive rally in the national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today kick-started the BJP's campaign for the upcoming polls in Delhi by launching a scathing attack at the Aam Aadmi Party's chief Arvind Kejriwal.
"We need development here, not anarchy. They are good at dharnas... we are good at running government," the PM said, without naming the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP.
In January last year, Mr Kejriwal, then Delhi Chief Minister, had urged the capital to join him on a 10-day protest in the heart of the city, and declared, "Yes, I am an anarchist." (
'Yes, I am an anarchist': Arvind Kejriwal asks Delhi to join protest)
Continuing his attack on the AAP, PM Modi said, "Punish those who left you behind, who abandoned you. Those who want to sleep on footpaths, sleep there, protest... they should be given those jobs. We are proficient in running a government and therefore choose the right people for the right jobs."
Mr Kejriwal had quit less than two months after he took oath as Delhi Chief Minister in February last year. He resigned after his push for the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill was blocked in the state legislature by law-makers from the Congress and the BJP.
At the massive rally at Delhi's Ramlila Grounds, in attendance were top BJP leaders including party chief Amit Shah as well as the Chief Ministers of Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, where the party captured power in recent elections.
Elections are expected to take place in Delhi mid-February, say sources. The national capital has been under President's Rule ever since Mr Kejriwal quit as Chief Minister.
The BJP, which has been out of power in Delhi for 16 years, has made the PM the face of their campaign. The party says it is confident of winning the polls with a clear majority, this time with the help of PM Modi's charisma.