Challenging the BJP to reveal its chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, Chief Minister Atishi on Friday claimed that the party’s likely choice for the post was its Kalkaji candidate, former MP Ramesh Bidhuri – one of her principal opponents from the seat, which also happens to be her home turf.
Terming Bidhuri a leader “notorious for his abusive language”, Atishi sought to contrast the former three-time Tughlakabad BJP MLA and the AAP’s “CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal”, urging the people to “decide whether they want a progressive, professional leader or someone whose reputation is built on offensive behaviour”.
Speaking to mediapersons, Atishi said, “The entire city wants to know one thing: Who is the chief ministerial candidate of the Gaali Galauch Party? The AAP has already declared its chief ministerial face. People know that if they vote for the AAP, Arvind Kejriwal will become the Chief Minister of Delhi. But if they vote for the Gaali Galauch Party, who will become their Chief Minister?”
“Reliable sources have revealed that the Gaali Galauch Party has decided to make Ramesh Bidhuri, the leader who uses the most abusive language, its chief ministerial candidate. Tomorrow, they might announce their candidates, and within two to three days, they will declare Ramesh Bidhuri as their chief ministerial face,” she added.
The AAP has also put up posters across Delhi, asking the BJP — while referring to it as the ‘Gaali Galauch Party’ — to reveal its CM candidate.
While talking about the condition of roads in Kalkaji, Bidhuri had, from the stage at an event headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Sunday, said: “Just like we improved roads in Okhla and Sangam Vihar, we will definitely make all roads in Kalkaji as smooth as (Congress MP) Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks.”
He then targeted Atishi for dropping her surname Marlena and using Singh instead. “Marlena has become Singh… She changed her father. She was Marlena earlier, but has become Singh now,” he had said. Atishi had dropped her surname in 2018. Her father is former Delhi University professor Vijay Singh.
On Wednesday, Atishi said, “If the people of Delhi press the lotus button (BJP’s poll symbol), they will get Ramesh Bidhuri as their Chief Minister. Why is this decision being made? Because in the Gaali Galauch Party, the person who uses the most indecent language and the most abuses progresses the fastest. Ramesh Bidhuri used abusive language in Parliament, words so indecent that no civilised person would use them. He abuses even his own party members. Everyone knows how he abused and physically assaulted Purvanchali leaders of his party, chasing them out onto the streets.”
“The people of Delhi now have two options. On one side, there is Arvind Kejriwal, an IIT-Kharagpur graduate, engineer, former IRS officer, and income tax commissioner… On the other side, there is Ramesh Bidhuri, who uses abusive language and makes indecent remarks about women. The contrast is clear: educated leader Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP versus abusive leader Ramesh Bidhuri of the Gaali Galauch Party,” she added.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, reacting to a poster depicting the BJP brass and running them down, termed it “cheap” and reflective of Kejriwal’s “desperation and character”, while demanding that it be rolled back.
Alleging that Kejriwal “has lost his mental balance out of fear of losing power”, Sachdeva accused him of punishing the people of Delhi out of it. “Kejriwalji, you can curse the BJP, but please do not spread tension in Delhi. You have already caused significant harm by halting Delhi’s development and looting its treasury. Please don’t disturb the harmony of Delhi any more.”
“The poster you released today reflects your desperation and character, Kejriwal ji. BJP condemns this and demands that if you have even a shred of morality left, you take it back… On September 21, when Ms Atishi Marlena took the oath as CM, calling her a ‘temporary Chief Minister’ was not only an insult to constitutional norms but also displayed Kejriwal’s outdated patriarchal mindset,” he added.
The people of Delhi, Sachdeva said, “will liberate Delhi from the sinful rule of the AAP on February 5”.
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