The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday tore into the BJP for turning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Delhi rally into a staged spectacle by sending MCD employees to fill seats, after citizens boycotted the event in anger against the Centre. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said the rally was a “complete flop” as BJP did not share a single picture of the crowd, questioning how many people actually turned up to hear PM Modi.
Meanwhile, Chief Whip Sanjeev Jha wrote a letter to CM Rekha Gupta, LG V.K. Saxena, the Mayor and MCD Commissioner, demanding a probe into the “serious matter” and action against those who ordered civic employees to attend.
Addressing a press conference along with Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha and Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a big rally in Delhi. In this rally, no TV channel camera was allowed. Everyone was told that only DD News cameras would be permitted inside and DD News would provide the feed to all.”
He asserted that not a single media outlet mentioned the crowd in the PM’s rally because it was a complete flop. Even the BJP’s own ‘X’ handle only posted close-up photos of a few people. No media personnel were invited to cover the Prime Minister’s rally. BJP Delhi State President Virendra Sachdeva must answer how many people were actually there to listen to the PM’s speech.
Pointing to the absence of crowds, Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha said, “The Prime Minister’s rally had no public turnout. On Sunday, MCD school teachers and MCD employees were ordered to attend the rally. Employees were threatened and forcibly herded into buses. Those who refused were called over the phone and threatened with strict action if they did not come. Several videos of this are circulating on social media. MCD councillors and zonal chairmen were seen standing at the spot, pushing employees into buses and sending them to the PM’s rally. Yet, today, several media outlets quoted Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh saying that no such order was issued.”
Sanjeev Jha added, “I have written a letter to CM Rekha Gupta, the LG, the Mayor, and the MCD Commissioner, attaching a copy of the official order issued by the MCD. If the Mayor is correct in saying that no such order was issued, then who issued this official directive?”
“This becomes an even more serious issue. On a public holiday, how can such a government order be issued and by whom? Many people were fasting for Krishna Janmashtami that day — how were they forced to attend? This must be investigated thoroughly, and whoever is found guilty should face strict action,” he asserted.
Criticising the BJP, Sanjeev Jha further said, “Sunday was the first time the Prime Minister came to Delhi after the BJP government was formed. Ideally, people should have gone to his rally in large numbers. If women had received the promised Rs 2,500, they would have filled buses on their own. If the jhuggis of the poor had not been demolished, they too would have joined. If thousands of Civil Defence volunteers had got jobs, they would have gone as well.”
He stressed that today, the people of Delhi are in distress and they hate the BJP. This is why declared and undeclared orders had to be issued to forcibly send employees to the rally. I hope my complaint is investigated, and if the Mayor is right, then action should be taken against those truly responsible.
Meanwhile, highlighting the failure of the rally, Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh said, “In the BJP’s rally, apart from the PM, two Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, the Lieutenant Governor, MPs, and all seven Delhi ministers were present. Despite this, the public did not turn up, and the biggest reason is the arrogance of the BJP government. People are searching for BJP leaders to question them. Today, if there were to be a rally against the BJP, lakhs of people would gather. This is the first BJP government in Delhi that lost the trust of the people within just 100 days of coming to power.”
Pointing to misuse, Jarnail Singh said, “My concern is that constitutional limits are being trampled upon. Across Delhi, garbage heaps are piling up in streets and neighbourhoods, and cleaning is not happening. Despite this, BJP is busy sending sanitation workers to Tiranga Yatras and rallies. Should sanitation workers clean the city or attend rallies?”
“We have little hope that CM Rekha Gupta will even acknowledge this letter or give any reply. If the Mayor denies issuing the order, then under what authority is BJP filling buses with employees and sending them to rallies? The CM must answer this. On Sunday, AAP karyakarta(s) went to different wards across Delhi and live-streamed employees being herded into buses from 73 locations. BJP cannot deny this evidence,” he concluded.
