Months ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, 13 September, took a veiled dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that people who "sell dreams" will never win in Gujarat.
"People who sell dreams will never get electoral success in Gujarat. I know the people of Gujarat. Those in the business of selling dreams can never get success in Gujarat because the people support only those who believe in doing work. That is why people remain by the BJP's side. The BJP is on its way to achieving a thumping victory," Shah said while addressing a virtual programme to mark Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel completing one year in office.
Last month, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal made a series of promises in Gujarat, including "guaranteed" free and quality education as well as healthcare in the state if the party was voted to power.
Responding to Shah's comment, Kejriwal said, "Yes, he is absolutely right. Do not believe those who sell you dream. Do not trust the people who say they'll give you Rs 15 lakh each by bringing back black money. Trust those who say that they have made electricity free in Delhi and Punjab, and will do it in Gujarat too."
In the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a total of 99 out of 182 seats while the Congress emerged a close second by bagging 77 seats.
'Congress Is Finished, BJP Losing in Gujarat': Kejriwal
While responding to a question about a Congress leader alleging that the AAP government in Punjab has no money to pay salaries and is wasting crores of rupees on advertisements in Gujarat, Kejriwal retorted that "Congress is finished," and that journalists should not "bother about their questions."
Furthermore, while responding to a reporter's question about the ruling BJP accusing the AAP of giving a backdoor entry to activist Medha Patkar in Gujarat politics, Kejriwal said, "BJP is getting defeated. They'll raise the name of Medha Patkar or someone else. Tell them the public wants to know what they did in the last 27 years and what they plan to do in the next five years."
The BJP had accused Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar of harming the interests of Gujarati people by opposing the Narmada Dam project, reported news agency PTI. She was given a ticket by the AAP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Kejriwal also added that the AAP is planning to contest all 182 Assembly seats in the Gujarat polls.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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