Will develop Delhi, make the corrupt pay

PM Narendra Modi started his speech referencing Yamuna River and promised to investigate all corruption charges on a war footing

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

[e-mail] NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked voters on Saturday for reposing faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as he promised to put Delhi on the development map with world-class infrastructure and amenities, assured that action will be taken against those involved in corruption, and said every irregularity will be probed.

The party's victory in Delhi, he said, enthused people and provided relief from "AAP-da" (referring to the Aam Aadmi Party as catastrophic).

"This is not an ordinary victory, people have shown the door to AAP-da (a reference to the AAP)... Adambar, Aarajakta, Ahankaar aur AAP-da ki haar hui...(it is a defeat of fakery, anarchy, arrogance and disaster)..." he said addressing workers at the BJP headquarters after the party's win.

Modi, who began his speech with salutations to the River Yamuna, the revival and rejuvenation of which was one of the key election issues, said it was his guarantee to the people of Delhi that the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the contentious excise policy will be tabled in the very first session of the Delhi Assembly.

"It is my guarantee that in the first assembly session, CAG's report will be tabled... all corruption cases will be investigated, jisne bhi jo loota hai usko lautana padega (people will have to repay what they have looted)," he said. In the run-up to the Delhi polls, the BJP had accused the AAP of withholding the tabling of CAG reports that purportedly alleged that the scrapped liquor policy of 2021-22 led to losses worth ₹2,026 crore.

Promising a crackdown on governance deficit, the PM said the AAP did not allow various infrastructure projects to take shape, houses to be built for the poor, and welfare schemes such as Ayushman Yojna to be implemented.