Toilet in 'Sheesh Mahal' Expensive Than Slums: Amit Shah Tears Into Kejriwal

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah , speaking at the 'Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan' at JLN Stadium, alleged on Saturday that the toilet in Arvind Kejriwal's "Sheesh Mahal" was more expensive than the slums in Delhi. 

Shah also promised that every slum dweller would be provided a house if the BJP wins the Delhi Assembly elections, which are scheduled for February 5, with votes to be counted on February 8.

Shah greeted the gathering on the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla's idol at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with a loud chant of "Jai Shri Ram".

"When we talked of Ram Temple, Kejriwal said toilets need to be constructed, when Article 370 was scraped, he said people need houses. Modi ji gave toilets as well as houses to the poor people, not Kejriwal," Shah said.

AAP proved to be an ‘Aapda’: Shah

Shah charged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has proved to be an "Aapda" (disaster) in its 10 years of rule in Delhi. He slammed AAP supremo and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly betraying the slum dwellers and forcing them to live in pathetic conditions in slums.

"The slum dwellers will become the liberators of Delhi and do the work of uprooting the Aapda government," Shah said, citing the shortage of drinking water and sewers, and heaps of garbage in the slum clusters of the city.

The senior BJP leader lashed out at Kejriwal over his claim, earlier in the day, that the BJP had finalised its leader Ramesh Bidhuri as the chief ministerial face of the party for the Delhi polls.

"Can Kejriwal decide the BJP's chief ministerial face?" he said, adding that the AAP supremo's "manipulations" were understood by Delhi people.

"Lies, betrayal and going back on promises," are the qualities of Kejriwal, Shah said, accusing the AAP leader of building a "Sheesh Mahal" instead of toilets in Delhi's slum clusters.

Slum Dwellers in BJP's Manifesto

Shah promised that solutions to all the problems and issues faced by the slum dwellers in Delhi will be mentioned in BJP's manifesto. "The BJP will ensure pucca houses for every slum dweller," he said.

"I want to reiterate what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier that no welfare schemes for the poor will be stopped," he said, accusing Kejriwal of spreading "lies" that the BJP will demolish the city's slums of it came to power.

While the prime minister gave the poor houses, ration, cheap medicines, loans, and cooking gas, Kejriwal did nothing for them in Delhi, he said.

Shah said the slum dwellers of Delhi will give a befitting reply to the AAP and Kejriwal on February 5 for cheating them, failing to clean the Yamuna River and committing the "sin" of building a "Sheesh Mahal".

The BJP has been using the "Sheesh Mahal" moniker to attack Kejriwal, alleging that he indulged in corruption and had a lavish lifestyle while living in the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow as the chief minister of Delhi before his resignation in September last year.

Kejriwal Responds

Responding to Amit Shah's statement Kejriwal said that “Today, Amit Shah ji insulted me and the people of Delhi a lot. The people of Delhi will answer this in the elections.”

"Amit ji has lied to the slum dwellers." he added.

Kejriwal said, “Tomorrow morning, I will hold a press conference from a slum area, which they plan to demolish after the elections.” he added, “I will expose the BJP's dirty intentions with all the evidence.”

(with agency inputs)