Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | Kejriwal lies like Modi but probably more cunning, sophisticated: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: In a stinging attack on AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday said the former Delhi chief minister "lies just like Narendra Modi" but is probably more "cunning" and "sophisticated" than the prime minister.

Addressing a public meeting in the Badli constituency here in the run-up to the February 5 Assembly polls, Gandhi asserted that he and his party can never compromise with the BJP. "We will die but never compromise with these people." Gandhi also lashed out at Kejriwal over his five-year-old promise of making Yamuna water potable and his press conference on Thursday, saying it reflected his "hollowness".

The AAP supremo on Thursday claimed that for the past several days, water with extremely dangerous ammonia levels has been flowing into the Yamuna from Haryana. "When CM Atishi called her Haryana counterpart, urging him to stop sending this toxic water, he did nothing," Kejriwal alleged.

At the public meeting of the Congress on Thursday, Gandhi said, "He (Kejriwal) speaks lies one after another just like Modi, there is no difference. There is only one thing, probably Kejriwal is even more 'chalaak (cunning)' than even Modi. So, you must not forget who stands with you, who protects the Constitution and who speaks the truth." The former Congress chief claimed that his party has delivered what he has promised, including in Karnataka and Telangana, where the Congress is in power.

"It is a battle of ideologies. On one side there is the BJP and RSS and on the other, there is the Congress. They (BJP and RSS) spreads hatred, violence and fear among people. We have said clearly wherever they spread hatred, we will open 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan'," Gandhi said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged the BJP spreads violence and hatred. When people got killed in riots, Kejriwal and his party people did not stand with those affected, Gandhi alleged.

"One ideology works to protect the Constitution and the other wants to finish it off. Mahatma Gandhi was killed on this day (October 30, 1948) because he was fighting hatred, he was uniting Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, and protecting Dalits. Who killed him? The same people whose ideology is burning the country today," the former Congress chief said.

Kejriwal thinks the people of the country do not understand but the truth is that he and Manish Sisodia indulged in corruption, he alleged. "They made false promises. Five years ago, Kejriwal said I will bathe in Yamuna and drink its water. I challenge him, leave alone Yamuna water, drink the water that people are getting here (in Badli)." "The Congress and I can never compromise with the BJP. I faced a 55-hour interrogation, and they have slapped 32 cases (against me). But I am not scared. I did not run away. I said you can arrest me. They took away my official residence and I handed over the keys to them. We will die but never compromise with these people," he said.

He urged people to remember the work done by the Sheila Dikshit government and the work of Indira Gandhi. "We work for the poor, Dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities, farmers and labourers," he asserted.

The senior Congress leader claimed the BJP people talked about "400 paar" (winning 400 seats) during the Lok Sabha elections with the intention of finishing off B R Ambedkar and Gandhi's Constitution.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's Independence remarks show that he does not believe in India's Constitution and wants to finish it off, Gandhi said.

"Why does Modi ji spread hatred? Because he wants people to fight with each other, be divided and be weak. When people fight and get divided, then Narendra Modi can give the country's wealth to the likes of Adani and Ambani," he claimed.

The Constitution states that the country belongs to everyone and they should live in brotherhood, he asserted.

Hitting out at the media, Gandhi said it would only show "Ambani wedding, Amitabh Bachchan's dance, cricket match, Modi's face and talk about his 'mann ki baat' but will not focus on real issues".

"We don't want to hear his 'Mann ki baat'. We want to hear your 'Mann ki baat'. The BJP is against minorities, Dalits, backwards and farmers," he told the public.

Training his guns at Kejrwal, the Congress leader said when the AAP supremo came into politics he used to move around in a small car but then he moved to a 'sheesh mahal' which has automated doors.

The BJP often uses the 'sheesh mahal' jibe to attack Kejriwal with allegations of corruption in the renovation of the residence he used as the Delhi chief minister.

"The person who had said 'I will remove corruption, will bathe in Yamuna, will drink Yamuna water', that same person carried out the biggest liquor scam," Gandhi said.

Earlier in the day, at an interaction with Dalit influencers, the senior Congress leader slammed Kejriwal, saying he is a "sophisticated version of Modi".

"Both of them speak hollow words, both of them speak one lie after another, both are anti-reservation and anti-Dalit, both do not want Bahujan participation and both of them want to keep the power in their own hands," Gandhi said.

The Congress and the AAP are part of the INDIA bloc. The two parties had fought the Lok Sabha elections together in Delhi, but are contesting the February 5 assembly polls separately.

While votes will be cast on February 5, the counting of votes will take place on February 8.

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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