In his first public appearance in Delhi ahead of the February 5 Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took aim at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal. Addressing supporters in Seelampur, Mr. Gandhi accused Mr. Kejriwal of failing to tackle corruption and pollution in the capital.
Drawing parallels between Mr. Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged that both leaders have misled the public with “false promises.”
“Remember the promises made when Kejriwal came to power? He vowed to eradicate corruption, but pollution and inflation have only worsened,” Mr. Gandhi stated at the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ rally.
He continued, “Like Modiji, Kejriwal continues to make hollow promises. There is no difference between them.”
This rally marked Mr. Gandhi’s first election campaign in Delhi since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the Congress and AAP, as part of the INDIA alliance, contested together. Despite their past collaboration, the two parties are running separately in the upcoming Assembly elections.
In response to Mr. Gandhi’s remarks, Mr. Kejriwal posted on social media platform X: “Rahul Gandhi came to Delhi today and criticized me extensively. I won’t respond to his statements. His mission is to save Congress; mine is to save the country.”
Mr. Gandhi also announced that, if elected, the Congress would conduct a caste survey in Delhi. He challenged Mr. Kejriwal to declare his stance on the caste census and the proposal to lift the 50% cap on reservations.