Arvind Kejriwal hits out at BJP over 'Rafale scam'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday attacked the Centre over the “Rafale scam” as former Union minister Yashwant Sinha and disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha joined him in slamming the Narendra Modi government.

The AAP national convener said the BJP was more corrupt than the Congress.

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Almost five years ago people had ousted the Congress from power because of its indulgence in corruption with a hope that the BJP government would usher in change, Kejriwal said, adding both the parties are “ghotaale baaz (corrupt)”.

He also mentioned several alleged scams.

“They have turned out to be more corrupt than them. If they did 2G, the other has done Sahara-Birla diary scam, if they did the Commonwealth scam, the other has done the Lalit Modi scam. If they did Bofors scam, the other has matched them with this Rafale scam,” he said.

Kejriwal was sharing the dais with Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha at an event here after the culmination of AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s padytara from Saharanpur.

He said, “I got to know about Rafale scam. I hear they have bought some fighter planes at exorbitant prices.”

“Yashwant ji is saying that one aircraft, for our defence forces, was priced at Rs 540 crore which was bought by them for Rs 1,670 crore. Someone somewhere must have made some money. Or they have given it for free? But who made the money,” he asked.

Recounting his government’s work in education sector, healthcare, regulating power tariffs among others, the chief minister said the AAP came to power in Delhi almost the same time the BJP formed government at the Centre, and asked people to compare the achievements of the two parties.

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“If we can transform the government schools in Delhi, create hundreds of mohalla clinics and provide power at lowest tariff in the country, why can’t Modi ji do it across the country?” he asked.

“The unprecedented work done by our government in Delhi is being talked about in the world. Tell me one good thing that the Modi government has done in the last four years,” Kejriwal said citing “problems” faced by people and traders due to demonetisation, GST and the rising fuel prices.

Referring to AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s ‘padyatra’ in Uttar Pradesh, he said the state has lagged in development because of its size.

“Uttar Pradesh should be divided into Awadh, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal and Pashchim Uttar Pradesh—four states. This is the people’s demand. And not only do we support it, we will struggle with the people of the state for the fulfilment of this demand,” Kejriwal said.

Congratulating Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha for their efforts in raising with the people issues of the Narendra Modi government, he said, “Recently he (Yashwant Sinha) announced that he won’t contest elections any more. But if good people like him won’t do it then who would?”

Asking the people should Yashwant Sinha contest in polls, he then told the veteran leader, “Sir, it’s the public demand that Yashwant Sinha should contest elections.”

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Yashwant Sinha praised Sanjay Singh for his 250-km walk in Uttar Pradesh and took a jibe at some politicians saying, “Nowadays those participating in debates on TV channels are considered leaders.”

“Some think the citizens of this country are fools and the media is under their control. But the people will no longer accept this. They will punish those guilty in the next election,” he said.

Shatrughan Sinha said he is often asked why he keeps criticising the BJP.

“I belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party, but I belong more to the ‘Bharatiya janta’ (Indian people). For me, the party is important but the country is more important,” he said.

Sanjay Singh criticised the Uttar Pradesh government and chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the last year’s incident at a Gorakhpur hospital in which several children had died.

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