New Delhi:
Union home minister Amit Shah, the BJP’s key strategist when it comes to elections, appeared confident today that the BJP’s long exile in Delhi will end this time. Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview, Mr Shah, asked about the matter, said, certainly the exile will end and the “BJP government will be formed”.
The BJP has been out of power in Delhi for over 25 years, which have seen consecutive terms in power by the Congress and AAP. Its performance in the last two rounds of assembly election has been abysmal as Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party or AAP scooped up a sweeping majority of the 70 assembly seats.
The BJP, though, has managed to retain its grip on the Lok Sabha seats from the national capital, winning all seven again last year and bringing hopes of power at the state level.
Change, Mr Shah said, was a certainty in Delhi, especially since AAP has “committed corruption” despite coming to power on the wings of the anti-corruption movement of Gandhian Anna Hazare.
“They have committed corruption worth thousands of crores. They came in the name of Anna,” he said.
Moreover, “Lies have a life span,” he said.
“Here, lies have been going on for a long time. It has been 10 years. The public has come to know. That is why change will happen”.
The party is banking on the huge corruption allegations against AAP, especially in the excise policy scam, over which its key leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were arrested. AAP has rubbished the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Regarding the BJP’s promises to Delhi, over which AAP had accused the BJP of being a copycat, he said, “They have not copied”.
“Some promises may be similar. They (AAP) did not fulfil them but the public knows that Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) will fulfil them,” he added.
The February 5 election in Delhi will be a three-cornered battle between the ruling AAP, the BJP and the Congress. The counting of votes will take place on February 8.