New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) – BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday, accusing it of turning Delhi into a "dirty slum" and failing to address the city's deteriorating conditions. She alleged that AAP was evading responsibility and blaming others for the national capital’s worsening state.
Speaking during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Rajya Sabha, Choudhry claimed that AAP has lost the trust of Delhi's people due to its non-performance.
Without directly naming former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, she criticized AAP leaders for making extreme remarks during the Delhi Assembly election campaign, such as referring to issues in the Yamuna as "water terrorism," "genocide," and equating pollution in the river to the devastation caused by the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She remarked that such statements indicate that AAP leaders have "lost their senses" as they realize the growing discontent among Delhi's residents.
Choudhry further alleged that the AAP government had failed to fulfill its promises and had undertaken no significant developmental work in Delhi. "The condition of Delhi has gone from bad to worse. The state of the national capital today resembles a dirty slum," she asserted.
Highlighting civic issues, she argued that while Delhi is showcased globally through Lutyens’ Delhi, the reality in the city's inner streets, outskirts, and smaller colonies tells a different story. "Overflowing garbage dumps, clogged sewers, polluted drinking water, and dirty drainages have become Delhi’s defining features," she said, challenging AAP leaders to witness these conditions firsthand.
On the issue of the Yamuna river, Choudhry described its present state as a "cesspool of absolute dirt and toxic elements," questioning AAP on the whereabouts of the ₹6,000 crore allocated for cleaning the river. She also pointed out that under the AAP government, Delhi suffers from a massive water processing loss of 40-50%, calling it "shameful."
Dismissing AAP’s claims that Haryana was supplying contaminated water to Delhi, Choudhry defended her state, asserting that Haryana provides pure drinking water through an uninterrupted canal system. "I challenge the AAP leader to confirm whether this is right or wrong," she said.
Supporting her stance, BJP MP Neeraj Shekhar also criticized AAP, questioning how a former chief minister could claim that Haryana was sending poisonous water to Delhi. He further advised the former CM to focus on his own future rather than commenting on the retirement of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Shekhar also condemned an alleged remark made outside Parliament referring to President Droupadi Murmu as a "poor lady," indirectly targeting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. Additionally, he dismissed Opposition claims that the President’s address was boring, stating that the speech was about national affairs and was not meant for entertainment.
The debate in Rajya Sabha saw sharp exchanges as BJP leaders took aim at AAP and the Opposition, intensifying the political battle over Delhi’s governance.
