Kiren Rijiju slams Kejriwal's 2017 'Hum Delhi ke Maalik hain' remark; compares with Modi

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju took an aim at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by pulling up a 2017 remark made by the latter where he said he is the "master of Delhi" on the floor of the Legislative Assembly and compared it with a remark by PM Narendra Modi. BJP and Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party has been engaged in a bitter war of barbs on social media as poll date of February 8 nears.

In a video shared by Rijiju on Twitter, Arvind Kejriwal can be heard saying, "Hum Delhi ke maalik hai (we are Delhi's masters), not them (bureaucrats)." Then a clip of PM Modi is attached where he tells an audience at a rally that he is the "Pradhan Sevak (prime servant)" and is a trustee of the public exchequer. Through the video, Kiren Rijiju intends to point to Kejriwal's "arrogance" and PM Modi's "humility".

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2017 remark in Assembly

In an Assembly session in October 2017, Arvind Kejriwal had said, "I am an elected chief minister, not a terrorist," while dramatically hitting out at Lt Governor Anil Baijal for "opposing" a Bill to regularise guest teachers in Delhi. Kejriwal had launched a broadside against the L-G, BJP and the bureaucracy, alleging a nexus between them, which prompted a walk-out by the opposition.

"Hum Delhi ke maalik hai, voh nahi (we are Delhi's masters, not them)," the Delhi CM asserted at one point, which was greeted with loud cheers and table-thumping by Aam Aadmi Party MLAs. He was taking part in a discussion on a Bill introduced in the Assembly to regularise the employment of around 15,000 guest teachers (working on contractual basis) in Delhi government-run schools. The Bill was later passed by the House through voice vote.

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Delhi Assembly election

New Delhi will go to polls in a single-phase on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. The BJP has fielded Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha president Sunil Yadav against Delhi CM Kejriwal from New Delhi constituency, and the Congress has pitted former NSUI Delhi president Ramesh Sabharwal against him. BJP is trying to make advances in the upcoming Assembly elections after the 2015 debacle where it won only three seats. During the 2015 elections, AAP won 67 seats out of the 70-seat Assembly. 

The Delhi Assembly Election results will be declared on February 11.

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(With PTI inputs)