Amidst the electoral fervor, J P Nadda, the leader of the BJP, launched a scathing critique against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), decrying their actions as morally questionable. Urging the electorate to deliver a resounding rebuke, Nadda asserted that the upcoming elections presented an opportune moment to admonish the AAP for their purported misdeeds. Nadda’s tirade followed closely on the heels of assertions by Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, who alleged that the BJP had orchestrated a campaign dubbed ‘Operation Jhaadu’ aimed at dismantling the AAP, perceiving it as a formidable adversary.
Addressing a gathering at a campaign rally in Kaithal within the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency, Nadda disparaged the Congress, branding it as a ‘parivarvadi party’, or a party centered around a select family. He further characterized the Congress and its coalition partners as a collective of the morally corrupt, remarking that some were incarcerated while others remained free on bail. Nadda’s rhetoric was directed in support of BJP candidate Naveen Jindal.
In a thinly veiled jab at Kejriwal, Nadda recollected the party’s inception, highlighting its initial disavowal of forming a political entity or participating in elections, only to reverse course subsequently. Nadda remarked upon Kejriwal’s pledge to abstain from aligning with the Congress, a commitment that was ultimately broken. He further scrutinized the AAP’s purported commitment to integrity, juxtaposing it against the incarceration of three of its leaders.
Nadda further alluded to the arrest of Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Chief Minister Kejriwal, in connection with an alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal. Drawing attention to the discrepancy between public rhetoric and private conduct, Nadda accused Kejriwal of maintaining a conspicuous silence in the face of impropriety.
Posing rhetorical questions to the audience, Nadda implored them to reflect on whether individuals of such character deserved their support in the forthcoming elections. He exhorted the electorate to mete out a punitive response, emphasizing the dissonance between the AAP’s purportedly virtuous rhetoric and their purportedly ignoble actions.
Nadda derided Kejriwal’s recent announcement of a protest march to the BJP headquarters, characterizing it as a desperate plea for attention. He mocked Kejriwal’s willingness to face arrest, facetiously suggesting that he revoke his bail and return to confinement, insinuating that his current freedom was temporary.
Kejriwal, for his part, had previously accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of orchestrating legal action against AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh. Kejriwal had defiantly declared his intention to lead a delegation of party members to the BJP office in a show of solidarity, challenging Modi to take punitive action against them.