New Delhi [India], January 9 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Karol Bagh assembly constituency, Dushyant Gautam, slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, accusing them of treating themselves as the "owners" of Delhi, whereas on the other hand the Prime Minister calls himself "sevak" of the country.
Gautam compared AAP leaders to "rulers like the Mughals," claiming they disregard the Constitution and democratic values.
"They (CM Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal) think that they are the owners of Delhi and on the other side, the Prime Minister of the country says that he is a 'sevak' of the country. They feel that the Constitution and democracy are nothing. They think since people have elected them, they are the rulers like the Mughals. This is not appropriate in a democratic system..." Gautam told ANI.
Earlier, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva slammed former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said his name is "synonymous with lies" as he "failed' to fulfil any of his promises.
Taking a jibe at the AAP national convenor, Sachdeva said that the only statement of his which turned true was his party members including him, going to jail.
"Arvind Kejriwal had said that I swear on my children that I will not take any government car, bungalow or security. Arvind Kejriwal should tell whose life was lost and whose promise was lost. Ahead of the Punjab election women were promised 1,000 rupees would be credited to their account once AAP came to power but none of them received it.
Attacking Kejriwal further, Sachdeva accused him of not fulfilling any of his promises and also labelled him a "synonym for lies."
"He said he would clean Yamuna within one year and will take a dip with the entire cabinet, did he do it? Arvind Kejriwal's name itself means lie. He cannot speak the truth. His tongue is black, when he says that Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh or Arvind Kejriwal will go to jail, this becomes true."
While Delhi Chief Minister's residence, the 'Sheesh Mahal' in the national capital has become a hot topic with incumbent AAP being on the receiving end of strong attacks from both BJP and Congress.
Sachdeva made a visit to AB 17 Mathura Road, the residence that has been allotted to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi after she alleged that the centre cancelled her allotment to the CM residence at 6 Flagstaff Road. He refuted the allegations of Atishi and asked why didn't she take possession of the 6 Flagstaff Road.
Attacking her further, the Delhi BJP chief asserted that entering that residence would have meant Atishi to cooperate in the ongoing probe into the 'Sheesh Mahal'.
Speaking to ANI, Sachdeva said, "Sheila Dikshit ran the government for 15 years from this residence that has been allotted to Atishi, so why does Atishi want 'Sheesh Mahal,' and when it was being allotted, why did she not take charge since 3 months ago? This was because it was being investigated and CM would have to cooperate, which Atishi did not want and now that the Code of Conduct has been imposed, it is being demanded. AB 17 Mathura Road is officially allocated to her and she lives in Kalkaji. So how many residences do you want?"
Stating that the AB-17, Mathura Road residence has been allotted to Atishi as well as the one in Kalkaji (her constituency), he questioned how many residences the Delhi Chief Minister want. "Why was the 'Sheesh Mahal' not shown to the media when Sanjay Singh, Satyendra Jain, and Manish Sisodia went there after getting bail or when Swati Maliwal was assaulted? This residence (AB-17, Mathura Road) has been allotted to Atishi along with the one in Kalkaji. How many bungalows does she want?" Sachdeva asked.
He further asked "Please clarify to whom the bungalow at AB 17 Mathura Road is allocated. If Arvind Kejriwal was the CM, then why was 6 Flag Staff Road not declared the official CM residence?"
Notably, BJP has been heavily attacking the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party and its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over the 'Sheesh Mahal' row.
BJP also put up posters of the Sheeshmahal on the roads near Flagstaff Road. Also, models of the Sheesh Mahal have been prepared by the Delhi BJP and are being displayed in trucks in every constituency.
The elections in Delhi are scheduled to be held in a single phase on February 5 and the counting of votes will be done on February 8.
Incumbent AAP, which won the previous two terms with massive margins -- 67 and 62 out of 70 seats -- is facing a stiff two-pronged challenge against BJP and the Congress.