This Article is From May 09, 2019

General Elections 2019: At Mega Delhi Rally, PM Modi Calls AAP Non-Performer, "Nakampanthis"

At his first rally before the elections in the national capital, held at the historic Ramlila Grounds, he said it was "Nakampanthis" (Do nothings), who have "vitiated the image of an aam aadmi".

PM Modi addressed a mega rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Wednesday evening.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today added a fifth kind of political culture to the list of four he had drawn up earlier -- a jab directed at the Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party. At his first rally before the elections in the national capital, held at the historic Ramlila Grounds, he said it was "Nakampanthis" (Do nothings), who have "vitiated the image of an aam aadmi".

At a rally in Uttar Pradesh last week, PM Modi had mocked the Congress and the Left, dubbing them ''naampanthi'' (dynastic) ''vaampanthi'' (Left). A third type of political culture was also outlined -- ''daam aur damanpathi'' (those relying on money and muscle).

His own party, the BJP, he said was ''vikaspanthi'' (one which believed in development)".

Delhi, he said today, has seen the fifth model: "Nakampanthi -- those who say no to every development work and whatever they do, they fail in that".

Naakampanthis, he said, have "spread anarchy and backstabbed the nation". They supported the ''tukde-tukde'' gang - a reference to the student leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar who allegedly shouted anti-national slogans. The BJP now applies the term to anyone it accuses of sympathising with Maoists and separatists.

The BJP had won all seven seats of Delhi in the 2014 national elections. But it has since faced a challenge from Arvind Kejriwal's party, which had swept to power in 2015, winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats.

The AAP government has since been at loggerheads with the Centre over various administrative issues - a situation that had led a fresh demand for statehood for Delhi. Mr Kejriwal's party has made it their central theme.

Arvind Kejriwal, who had taken on PM Modi from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2014, has claimed that he would sweep out the BJP from Delhi's Lok Sabha seats.

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