Pakistani daily says AAP main hurdle to BJP victory

The editorial said Congress is expected to take a historic beating in the upcoming polls

With its recent success in Delhi and message of anti-corruption that has excited voters in geographically diverse urban areas, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now seen as the main hurdle to a BJP victory in the upcoming general elections in India, a leading Pakistani daily said Monday.

Even if one disagrees with the AAP's approach, the party should be celebrated for providing an alternative to the ubiquity of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's model across the country, The News International said in its editorial.

Modi is using the supposed Gujarat economic "miracle" as the centrepiece of his campaign and arousing hope among the people that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, it would provide better governance than the current government, it said.

The Congress, which is tarred by accusations of incompetence and corruption, is expected to take a historic beating in the upcoming polls, it said.

"For international observers, the site of Gujarat as a major rallying point for AAP supporters will also be a curious one," it said.

"The AAP sought to expose these claims as hollow, explaining that the economic growth in the state, while better than the national average, has come at the cost of human development with poverty and child mortality still remaining extremely high," the newspaper said.

It said the so-called "Modi effect" is actually yet another example of the market-led model being touted as a panacea for all ills.

"The AAP may have a style that alienates some: Kejriwal's latest stunt was to try and go to Modi's official residence and show that the chief minister is not accessible to the people. But even if one disagrees with their approach, the party should be celebrated for providing an alternative to the ubiquity of this flawed model," the editorial stated.