On the eve of Delhi polls, PM Modi’s ‘aap-da’ jibe at opposition

The prime minister targeted both Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in his Lok Sabha speech.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Cabinet colleagues after a debate on the Motion of Thanks to Presidents address in the Lok Sabha | PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Cabinet colleagues after a debate on the Motion of Thanks to Presidents address in the Lok Sabha | PTI

A day before the Delhi polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a frontal attack on Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal for deceiving people and trying to bow seeds of discord. Modi was speaking during the Motion of Thanks to President Address.

Modi left no doubt that the targets of his attacks were the AAP and the Congress—the two parties whom the BJP is facing in Delhi which goes to poll on Wednesday. 

“We are constantly working keeping the future of youth in mind, but there are some parties which are deceiving the youth. These parties make promises during elections but do not fulfill them. These parties have become aap-da (playing on the word calamity) on the future of youth,” Modi said in Lok Sabha. 

Modi had coined the word ‘aapda’ to refer to the AAP government in Delhi.

The prime minister listed the achievements in the last 10 years of his governments. “In 2013-14, income tax was not required on income of only Rs 2 lakh, whereas today (2025-26) income tax will not be required on income of Rs 12 lakh.”

The government in the Union budget had made income up to Rs 12 lakhs tax free. This became the BJP’s main plank as the months long aggressive political campaign in Delhi came to an end on Monday.

“Earlier, the headlines of newspapers used to be about scams. But in the last 10 years, the country has saved lakhs of crores of rupees. We did not use that money to build a 'Sheesh Mahal', we used that money to build the country,” Modi said, directly hitting at Arvind Kejriwal, a day ahead of the polling.

The BJP is involved in a trinagulaur fight with the ruling AAP and the Congress. Modi will travel to Prayagraj on February 5 to take a part in the Khumbh Mela, while the voting will be on in Delhi. The visuals of his religious visit are likely to send a subtle message to the electorate in the national capital.

Targeting Congress, Modi said in Delhi several private museums were created by political families, “but we created PM Museum, which showcases the lives and work of all prime ministers”.

Modi alleged that some people were speaking the language of ‘Urban Naxals’. In an oblique reference to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Modi said that those who speak this language and challenge the Indian state can neither understand the Constitution nor the unity of the country.

Targeting Gandhis, Modi asked if there has ever been a time when three MPs from the same SC family served in Parliament simultaneously, or three MPs from the same ST family at the same time. He said there was a stark difference between the words and actions of some individuals, indicating a vast gap between their promises and reality.

Again hitting at Rahul Gandhi for his speech in the house targeting the government for its foreign policy towards China, Modi noted that “some individuals” feel the need to speak on foreign policy to appear mature, even if it harms the country. He suggested that those truly interested in foreign policy should read the book "JFK's Forgotten Crisis" by a renowned foreign policy scholar. The book details important events and discussions between India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and then US President John F. Kennedy during challenging times. 

The prime minister reminded the House that even when there was no recognised opposition party (as their numbers were low) when his government took office in 2014, it upheld democratic principles by involving leaders of the largest opposition party in meetings and committees.

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