New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal has a “history of lying”, Madhya Pradesh chief minister (CM) Mohan Yadav said Monday, calling his Delhi counterpart ‘jhoothelal’ over his comment at an INDIA rally that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retire after he turns 75 next year.
Emphasising that people look at Modi as a ‘vardaan’ (blessing), Yadav said it’s the good fortune of India and its voters that Modi has been in power for 10 years, and to not take Kejriwal’s comment seriously.
“In a diverse country like India, one of the biggest democracies, Modi ji ne kamaal kiiya hai (Modi has done wonders)… in power for two terms, he has made a unique place for himself in people’s hearts. This is India’s fortune and the fortune of Indian voters. He hasn’t done a single thing for himself in his entire life,” Yadav said.
“He has committed himself to the nation. He doesn’t have a house of his own, doesn’t have any assets, there’s no bank balance, no links with his family, but he is living for the country, and he has made a name for himself amid the people, who see him as a vardaan. The PM is important for the country and the world,” he added.
In an interview with ThePrint, Yadav also accused Kejriwal of lying when he first entered politics after swearing against it and then fighting the elections despite earlier saying he had no such ambitions.
Naming Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Kapil Mishra, Ashutosh, Shazia Ilmi, and Kumar Vishwas, who have deserted Kejriwal over the years, Yadav said, “Who believes in Arvind Kejriwal? He is now known as ‘jhootelal’. How can someone lie so much? His lies are taller than Everest.”
“He then talked about development, with big promises of constructing schools, hospitals, medical colleges, etc., but not a single medical college has come up. They talked about providing WiFi in Delhi, but no such thing happened,” he said.
Referring to the arrest of AAP chief Kejriwal and other leaders over irregularities in the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Yadav said, “They (AAP leaders) should be talking about sharab bandi (checking liquor), but got caught in sharab niti (liquor policy). Then, he (Kejriwal) started this lie of (how the BJP will) arrest him and put him in jail. Someone who is out on bail, why would one arrest him? Get the bail cancelled, then. You applied for bail. So, why this drama?”
Since being released from jail on interim bail on 10 May, Kejriwal has been saying at election rallies that he would be sent back to prison if people vote Modi to power and that the BJP wants to send more Opposition leaders to jail. Arrested on 21 March, the Supreme Court has granted him interim bail till 1 June.
Responding to the Delhi CM’s allegations, Yadav said, “Why are you (Kejriwal) trying to fool people by saying if they don’t vote for you, you will go behind bars? Why do you do things that send you to jail?… On one end, we have a person like PM Modi, who enjoys an unblemished reputation. On the other end, we have Kejriwal, who is tainted. Who will believe his words?”
He also talked about implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), continuing to use bulldozers where necessary, and Congress workers joining the BJP in the state.
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Mathura, after Ayodhya
Expressing confidence in the BJP’s performance under Modi’s leadership, Yadav also said that with the party making him chief minister in Madhya Pradesh, he is a living example of BJP’s ‘sabka saath sabka vikas sabka vishwas’ policy. “Party gave a chance to a ‘Yaduvanshi’ person like me,” he said about his rise within the party ranks.
Coming down heavily on the Opposition, especially Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, the Madhya Pradesh CM said that after the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya earlier this year in January, Krishna’s “abode in Mathura should also shine with glory”. In February, the SP chief said Yogi Adityanath should not rake up mosque-temple disputes in Mathura and Kashi since he remains bound by the Constitution.
“Why shouldn’t we talk about it? (Mathura after Ram Mandir)… Hum toh danke ki chot par kehte hai ki Dwarka mei agar manya Modi ji ne pul banvaya aur woh doobi dwaraka ke darshan karne gaye, inki himmat kyu nahi padi yeh darshan karne kyu nahi jaa rahe. (We say this fearlessly and boldly that PM Modi got a bridge made in Dwarka and went to offer prayers. Why didn’t they have the courage to do this, why didn’t they go to see it?),” he asked, without naming Akhilesh.
“Those who talk in the name of Lord Krishna, those who link themselves to him, but publicly (shy away from talking about it) keeping their other vote bank in mind, it is a lesson for them. I am full of joy that Lord Ram is smiling… What has Lord Krishna done wrong? His abode should also shine with glory,” he said.
“Why should we not be proud of our glorious tradition; what is wrong in talking about it? Lord Ram, Shri Krishna and 33 crore gods and goddesses — all should be worshipped… such a big community accepts everyone. And along with this, we continue with our agenda of development, and to have hatred for anyone based on their religion and identity is not our ‘dharma’,” he added.
UCC & bulldozer politics
On the UCC, Yadav said it is a “declared policy” of the BJP, and so Madhya Pradesh will implement it jointly with the Centre. “There is no need to fear,” he added.
Countering the Opposition’s criticisms of the BJP being anti-Muslim, Yadav said the triple talaq ban and the abrogation of Article 370 has changed lives for the better.
Praising the Modi government for implementing the triple talaq ban and questioning the Opposition about why it hadn’t, he said, “So many Muslim countries have done away with triple talaq, but for their vote bank politics, it (Congress) made the lives of Muslim women hell.”
On the abrogation of Article 370, he said the move has brought “peace and prosperity to Kashmir”.
“Kashmir has become a model for development, and now even PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) people are saying, ‘we want to be part of India’. So, who gave that? PM Modi ji did. Who put an end to terrorism across the country? PM Modi ji did,” he said.
Emphasising that the Muslim population benefits from government schemes, he asked, “So, what is wrong? Modiji has given the Muslim community an opportunity to be linked with the rest of the country. We are from that party that made A.P.J. Abdul Kalam the President for the first time, Congress had opposed his candidature and didn’t give him an opportunity the next time despite his immense capabilities.”
He accused the Congress of indulging in vote bank politics. “Congress is the one that divided the nation… Congress also used this fear-mongering to say if Ram Mandir is constructed, it will lead to riots, khoon ki nadiya beh jayenge. Kya hua? Kuch nahi hua (Rivers of blood will run, but what happened? Nothing). The entire country celebrated Ram Navami and Eid peacefully. No riots took place, and there was not a single curfew.”
“Congress has always followed divide and rule policy and is still following British policy,” he added.
Yadav also stressed that while the government will follow the law, it will use bulldozers where necessary. “If any wrongful activity takes place, illegal activity takes place, the government is capable of eliminating it strictly. But the government will follow all rules and regulations, and there will be no discrimination,” he said, dismissing allegations that “bulldozer” justice often targets Muslim homes.
Soon after taking charge in 2023, Yadav issued an order for an “intensive campaign” to check “illegal buying and selling of meat, fish, etc”, following which bulldozers razed 10 meat shops in Bhopal. The same day, the government sent bulldozers to demolish the homes of three men accused of attacking a BJP worker. Under his predecessor, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Madhya Pradesh government had used bulldozers to raze the homes of suspects after the 2022 communal clashes in Khargone.
Quizzed if bulldozers will be used to mete out justice in the future too, he asked, “Kyun nahi hoga? Agar zaroorat hogi, toh zaroor hoga. (Why not? If it’s necessary, we will, for sure, use bulldozers).”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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