PM Modi’s Delhi Rally Fails to Draw Crowd, AAP Questions BJP’s Tactics

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday criticised the BJP over sending MCD employees to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Delhi on Sunday. AAP leaders said the rally was a complete flop, with few people attending due to public anger over BJP’s governance. They also demanded that BJP Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva clarify the actual crowd size. Meanwhile, AAP chief whip Sanjeev Jha sent a letter to the Chief Minister, Lieutenant Governor, Mayor, and MCD Commissioner, calling for an investigation into who ordered the employees to attend the rally.

Media Blackout and Flop Rally

On Monday, at AAP headquarters, Saurabh Bhardwaj held a press conference with MLAs Sanjeev Jha (Kirari) and Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar), stating that a major rally of PM Narendra Modi was held in Delhi on Sunday. No TV channel cameras were allowed except DD News, which was the only feed source. Media reports mentioning the crowd at the PM’s rally were missing because the rally was a complete flop.

BJP even posted close-up photos of people on its ex-handles. No media personnel were invited to the PM’s rally. BJP Delhi Pradesh President Virendra Sachdeva should tell how many people were there to hear the PM’s speech.

Forcible Attendance of MCD Employees

MLA Sanjeev Jha said the crowd at the Prime Minister’s rally was negligible. On Sunday, MCD teachers and employees were ordered to attend the rally. Employees were forced into buses under duress, and those unwilling to go were called and threatened with strict action. Several videos of this circulated on social media. MCD councillors and zone chairmen were seen physically boarding employees onto buses and sending them to the PM’s rally. Today, some media reported that Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh claims no such order was issued.

Sanjeev Jha said he has written a letter to CM Rekha Gupta, LG, the Mayor, and MCD Commissioner, attaching a copy of the order issued by MCD. “If the Mayor is telling the truth that no order was issued, then whose order was this? This makes it an even more serious issue. Who is the person issuing government orders on a holiday, and how did it happen? Many people were observing Krishna Janmashtami fast. How were they called? This must be investigated, and strict action should be taken against anyone found guilty. He added that after BJP came to power, the Prime Minister visited Delhi for the first time on Sunday. In such a scenario, people should not be forcibly loaded onto buses for the rally. If women had been given 2,500 rupees, they would have boarded the buses themselves. If the slums of the poor had not been demolished, they too would have gone. Thousands of Civil Defence volunteers would have gone if they had received jobs.

Public Anger and Administrative Concerns

Today, the people of Delhi are angry, and resentment against BJP is rising. That is why employees were forcibly sent to the rally under declared and undeclared orders. “I hope my complaint will be investigated, and if the Mayor is telling the truth, appropriate action will be taken against those responsible,” said Sanjeev Jha. During this, MLA Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar) said that along with the PM, two state CMs, Union Ministers, the Lieutenant Governor, MPs, and all seven Delhi ministers were present at BJP’s rally. Even so, people did not attend due to the BJP government’s incompetence. “People are searching for BJP leaders to ask questions. If a rally were held against BJP today, millions would gather. Delhi’s first BJP government lost public trust within 100 days.

Jarnail Singh added that his concern is about the violation of constitutional norms. Garbage piles are spread across Delhi’s lanes and neighborhoods, and cleaning is not being done. Yet BJP is calling sanitation workers for the Tiranga Yatra and rallies. Sanitation workers should either focus on cleaning or attend rallies. I have very little hope that CM Rekha Gupta will respond to the letter. If the Mayor refuses to issue orders, then on what authority is BJP loading employees onto buses and taking them to rallies? The CM should respond. On Sunday, AAP workers went to different wards in Delhi and conducted live telecasts from 73 locations showing employees being sent onto buses. BJP cannot deny this,” said Jarnail Singh.