AAP a 'backstabber', BJP will give a clean govt, says Modi

In a hard-hitting attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called it "backstabber" and asked Delhiites not to repeat the "mistake" of voting for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

During his over half-an-hour address at an election rally, Modi sought a clear mandate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which fell short of majority in the 2013 polls, and asserted that his party would provide a clean and stable government which people had "never seen" in the past, countering AAP's key election plank.

Taking on AAP without naming the party, Modi made fun of its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, saying it "created a world record in forfeiting deposits". "The very people whom you voted for last time stabbed your back. They shattered your dreams and destroyed Delhi. You gave them a befitting punishment in the Lok Sabha polls. People do not repeat their mistakes again and again," Modi said in a rally at Viswas Nagar in east Delhi.

Calling Delhi the face of India, he said this election would decide how the country was seen on the global stage. "There is no better place than Delhi for India's identity."

Modi also complimented Kiran Bedi, whose selection as the party's chief ministerial candidate ruffled feathers in Delhi BJP, for her administrative abilities. "She knows Delhi inside out. She has administrative experience and is well versed with the history and geography of Delhi. She is a woman with strong determination. She will take Delhi to new heights," the prime minister said.

Trying to woo the poor and the lower strata of the society, who are seen as backbone of AAP's support base, he said his government has already launched a war on corruption and promised in-situ development of slums. "My government is for the poor. My plan is to replace all slums with concrete houses by 2022 when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence and I want to start it from Delhi."