On August 22, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Sabha MP from East Delhi constituency and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir debunked claims made by Aam Aadmi Party that Manish Sisodia got an offer from BJP to join the party. In an interview with Aaj Tak, Gambhir systematically broke down the reasons why AAP is “panicking” and making “weird” statements like BJP wants to take away Sisodia from AAP.
Aaj Tak journalist Anjana Om Kashyap asked Gambhir if there was any truth in the claims made by AAP that BJP was trying to break the party and had initiated “Operation Lotus.” Gambhir said, “The person who won the last Assembly elections with 1,100-1,200 votes should not make such comments. I dare him [Manish Sisodia] to fight election from Patparganj in 2025, and then we will see what happens.” Sisodia is MLA from Patparganj, an East Delhi constituency, since 2013. Gambhir further added, “No one will ever believe that BJP gave him an offer to make him Chief Minister.
During the interview, Gambhir pointed out that one of AAP’s ministers from Delhi is already in jail. The second minister is on his way to jail. One of their Ministers from Punjab has been jailed. He said, “You opened 600 wine shops in Delhi but could not open a single school. Delhi does not need a CM, it needs a son, a true son. Delhi does not have an advertisement minister, Delhi needs someone who can do the groundwork. The fight is to save Delhi otherwise, it will not be a livable place after ten years. We will keep exposing them as it is essential to save Delhi.”
‘We do not need certificate from NYT like them’
Kashyap then asked about the claims made by AAP that the ED raids against its leaders have been happening because of three reasons that, include the article praising AAP in the New York Times, the BJP wants to topple the AAP government in Delhi and PM Modi is scared of AAP for upcoming Gujarat elections. To the question, Gambhir said BJP does not seek any validation or certificate from NYT as AAP does.
It should be noted here that NYTimes has had racist attitude towards India and made its anti-Hindu and anti-Modi bias quite evident in its opinions as well as news reportage. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, NYTimes regularly indulged in spreading anti-India propaganda.
Gambhir further said, “They are making such claims to avoid two questions by BJP.” Repeating the questions, Gambhir added, “I would like to ask them how many schools, colleges, and hospitals have they opened and how many DTC buses they have added in the last seven years. Why was liquor policy taken back?”
Gambhir said if the questions are baseless, Aaj Tak can debunk BJP with data. He said, “If our questions are wrong, you would have exposed us with the figures by now.” Alleging AAP used money collected using the liquor policy for Punjab elections, Gambhir said, “Liquor policy was brought as they wanted to win Punjab elections with that money. They won the election with that money and support from Khalistani elements. This is not a fight between BJP and AAP. It is for the future of Delhi. It is for the future generations of Delhi. It is to save Delhi. If our questions are wrong, expose us. I will come and apologize in public.”
‘They do not even have one MP in Lok Sabha’
Speaking about PM Modi vs. Kejriwal, he said, “They do not even have one MP in Lok Sabha and dreaming about fighting Lok Sabha elections. It is the media that has created this narrative. I am unable to understand why media is creating such a narrative and diverting attention.”
‘If you haven’t done anything wrong, there is nothing to fear’
When asked about the allegations that BJP wanted to arrest Kejriwal and Sisodia, Gautam Gambhir said, “I have full faith in Indian judiciary and investigation agencies. If I have not done anything wrong, if any person in the country has not done anything wrong, he will not get arrested. If you have done anything wrong, you will be scared of everyone, not just agencies. You can send the investigating agencies to my home or anyone’s home who has not done anything wrong. They will answer without any fear if they live their life in black and white. Those who have crystal clear history need not be feared.”
‘None of the previous governments spent so much money on ads’
He further added, “They were the ones who blamed Sheila Dikshit and claimed she was corrupt. Now when they are being accused of being corrupt, they are panicking. Did any of their MLA give any figures about the work done in the past seven years? Have you ever seen such a large amount of money being spent on advertisements? There have been many CMs from both BJP and Congress. They did work as per their capacity. Did they spend such large amounts of money on advertisements? They have not built a single school or hospital and talked about education and health. Tell me, are Mohalla Clinics world-class? Can you or I send our family members to Mohalla Clinics?”
When asked about the demand made by Kejriwal to give Bharat Ratna to Sisodia, Gambhir said, “When you are panicked, then you make such statements. You can seek Bharat Ratna but at least answer what you have done in the past seven years. Did you make Delhi world-class? You were making Delhi equivalent to London, Paris, and New York. You promised to give clean drinking water. But Delhi is the most polluted city. We do not talk about that. Did you clean the Yamuna? You promised to give oxygen cylinders to every house. You promised to make Delhi world-class and spend money on infrastructure. The truth is you have spent crores of taxpayers’ money on advertisements. This NYT thing is just another PR activity.”
He added, “If we want to save Delhi in the future, we have to save it from two things. The first thing is media-created Arvind Kejriwal, and the second is the victim card. You cannot keep playing the victim card forever. Delhi does not need your innocent face. Delhi wants work to be done. Ask me what has been done in East Delhi. I will tell you. Send a reporter and verify if the work has been done or not.”
