MCD polls: AAP working against interests of common man in Delhi, says Nadda

The country is marching ahead on the path to progress, but there is no development in Delhi due to the AAP government working against the interests of the common man, BJP chief J P Nadda alleged on Sunday.

Nadda went door to door in Delhi's Wazirpur, seeking votes for his party's candidates in the upcoming municipal elections. He interacted with the locals and handed out copies of the party's 'Sankalp Patra' (manifesto).

Nadda took a dig at the Arvind Kejriwal government over the controversy surrounding Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi minister Satyendar Jain getting 'VIP treatment' in Tihar Jail.

"In the health sector they (AAP) have done good work and opened a massage centre in Tihar," he said referring to purported videos of Jain getting a massage inside his cell in Tihar Jail.

"They have also done good work in the education sector and turned a rapist into therapist," he said, reacting to AAP leader and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's defence that Jain was being treated by a physiotherapist due to a spinal injury in the jail.

It was later claimed by jail sources that Jain's masseur was an inmate accused of raping a minor.

Nadda further claimed that the Kejriwal government held back funds to the tune of Rs 32,000 crore meant for the BJP-ruled municipal corporations and despite this, "around 13,000 temporary employees of the civic bodies were regularised".

Now, the country is "marching ahead" under the BJP government, "but Delhi is deprived of development because you have brought a government here that works against the interest of common man," the BJP president told people.

Citing various alleged scams in the Kejriwal government, Nadda asked people to help BJP replace AAP in Delhi.

"Kejriwal had promised to shut down liquor vends but did just the opposite and liquor shops were opened everywhere in Delhi," he said.

Nadda also listened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat and praised him for refraining from talking about politics in his broadcast.

"It is surprising that the prime minister despite holding a political post has never talked politics in Mann Ki Baat. He has always talked about issues related to the society, education, health, good work done by people, and the social evils," he said.

The three erstwhile municipal corporations ruled by the BJP since 2007 were unified earlier this year by the Centre. The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has 250 wards.

The MCD polls will be held on December 4 and the counting of votes will take place on December 7.