‘No CAA Or NRC, Delhi To Vote On Real Issues'

As battle for Delhi gets shriller, Kejriwal accuses BJP of trying to change narrative & dares party to name its CM candidate

- Rajdeep Sardesai

As the BJP’s surround sound over Shaheen Bagh turns shriller, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is treading cautiously not to let his campaign lose its focus on civic issues.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader, seeking a re-election for a third term, insists the voters in the national capital would not get swayed by the Hindu-Muslim rhetoric.

At the same time, he challenged the BJP to name its candidate for the CM post.

CM: SHAHEEN BAGH A DIVERSION

“They want to change the narrative of the election,” he told India Today TV when asked about the BJP's accusations that Kejriwal had remained silent on Shaheen Bagh protests. “They (the BJP) have nothing else to offer,” the Chief Minister said.

Work and performance over the past five years, remarked Kejriwal, will determine the voters' decision. He described the BJP's Shaheen Bagh pitch in the middle of the Delhi election campaign as a digression tactic.

“This entire election is being fought on the work done by the Delhi government. In our meetings, we don't deliver speeches. We tell the public to vote for us only if we have done our work on the ground. They (the BJP) have nothing to say. They just want to divert public attention,” the Chief Minister said.

Delhi, said Kejriwal, has never endorsed “politics of hatred”.

“Electricity, water, education, schools, hospitals are the issues,” he said when asked about the relevance of the CAA/NRC in the Delhi campaign.