Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | AAP-led govt model has failed, says Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu

Addressing a press conference here, Naidu said people are worried about staying in Delhi because of the 'weather and political pollution'.

New Delhi:  Ahead of the assembly polls in the city, TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday launched a scathing attack on the ruling AAP over the lack of infrastructure development and dubbed the Delhi model as a "total failure".

Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is an ally of the ruling NDA at the Centre, took a jibe at the AAP government, saying Delhi has a "half-engine sarkar", and needs a double engine sarkar to achieve development.

Speaking to reporters after an election campaign in the national capital, he said "weather and political pollution" were plaguing Delhi.

Performance and better living standards are becoming relevant and not ideology, Naidu said and added "poor people in Delhi have to think if they want to live permanently in slums."

He also questioned the sustainability of welfare politics without wealth creation.

"Without creating wealth, what is the right of a politician to distribute wealth?" he asked, calling for a national debate on the issue.

Drawing from his political experience since 1978, Naidu highlighted the stark contrast between Delhi's current state and its historical position as a career-building hub.

"Originally, Delhi used to be home for building careers. It was our pride. Today, nobody is coming here. People are going from Delhi to other places for livelihood and opportunities," he observed.

The TDP chief particularly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) governance in Delhi and Punjab, questioning the lack of infrastructure development in the capital over the last decade.

He cited issues with water quality, claiming residents "cannot differentiate between drinking and drainage water" despite Central government schemes like AMRUT and Jal Jeevan Mission.

On development projects, he asked if there "has been any infra projects in the last 10 years? Long back, the metro had come. Nothing has been done."

Naidu termed Delhi's controversial liquor policy as the "worst scam" compared to other corruption cases and spoke about his own experience of introducing Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) in 1995 to reduce impurities in liquor.

Advocating for a development-focused approach, Naidu proposed his "P4" model -- public, private, and people's partnership -- to address poverty. He suggested that the top 10 percent of high-net-worth individuals should adopt the bottom 20 percent to improve living standards.

Expressing confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Naidu endorsed the vision of India becoming a developed nation by 2047.

He cited the success of his own "Hyderabad model" from 1995, which he said has made the city "the most livable place" with the highest per capita income in Telangana.

Addressing the Congress-AAP rift, Naidu emphasised development over ideology.

"Be on the right side, not on the left side, then you can move forward. Otherwise, on the left side, you will be ignored and isolated," he said, adding that "right development is right politics."

The Andhra chief minister stressed that only sustainable wealth creation can support welfare measures, urging a shift in political discourse from ideological lines to developmental priorities.

"Some people have created wealth in 30 years and managed everything. Some people will come and destroy everything. Whose interest is this? We have to discuss this. Development has to go on and you cannot derail (development) with political and public policies for cheap popularity," Naidu said.

PM Modi took welfare measures during Covid-19 and even developed countries did it, but the government's focus should be on empowering people, he added.

Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The first of two state assembly polls this year sees a three-way contest between AAP, Congress, and BJP in the nation's capital. AAP decided to contest the polls alone, causing rumours of a rift in I.N.D.I.A. BJP, meanwhile, is hoping the liquor excise policy scam and pollution in Delhi will give the saffron party an edge over AAP. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has different plans with his demand for reservations for Delhi Jats. Congress will also be looking to make its presence felt and has not held back from attacking its own alliance partner. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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