Atishi danced as Kejriwal’s ‘ploy to engineer her defeat failed’: Anurag Thakur

Lucknow, Feb 9 (PTI) Former Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Sunday alleged that outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi danced after coming to know that Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal’s “ploy to engineer her defeat had failed”.

Thakur was commenting on a leaked video clip purportedly showing Atishi dancing after her victory from the Kalkaji Assembly constituency. The defeat has revealed the fissures in top AAP leaders, Thakur said.

Atishi was among the select AAP leaders who won the polls as others, including Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sidodia, lost the polls.

“Look at the politics of Arvind Kejriwal, (he) came into politics by climbing upon the shoulders of Anna Hazare, finished him off, then formed his own party. He then finished off the founding members of his party,” Thakur alleged.

Kejriwal’s team worked against senior AAP leaders and ministers, but ultimately Kejriwal got the taste of his own medicine, he said.

“Atishi ji’s name was missing from the election banner, poster and the entire (poll) campaign. Attempts were made to defeat her in her assembly constituency and that is why you saw her dance in the leaked video,” Thakur said.

Thakur said Atishi was expressing her “happiness” over the defeat of the former chief minister and former deputy chief minister like other Delhiites.

“They wanted to put the blame of the liquor scam on Sisodia, but we had said even then that Kejriwal is the kingpin. The court punished him and he is currently on bail,” Thakur said.

Responding to a question, he said, “The one who was trying to finish his own people internally, that gentleman himself got finished. Now, how loud will be the rebellious tones, wait for a few more days. Because this dance that you have seen is not just about winning one assembly (seat). It was an indication in this direction, that you have put in a lot of effort, now let’s see what happens next.”

Elaborating further about the Delhi assembly elections, Thakur during his brief halt in Lucknow, said, “One of the major factors behind the BJP’s win in Delhi was the ‘Modi ki Guarantee’, and there is full guarantee of it getting fulfilled. And people have thrown out those who make guarantee of lies, and have given a concrete guarantee that he (Kejriwal) will never enter again.

“Apart from this, the people of Delhi had got fed up with the misgovernance and corruption… Now, it is ‘Delhi mein Modi, Desh mein Modi’ and the roads leading from ‘sankalp’ (promise) to ‘siddhi’ (fulfillment) have been opened. The BJP has been chosen to make a ‘viksit’ Delhi. The promises, which we have made, we will fulfill them, this is ‘Modi ki Guarantee’,” Thakur said.

“AAP has become an ‘AAP-da’ (disaster), it forgot the promises made to the people of Delhi, it has created new records of corruption. With 15 MLAs in jail, eight ministers in jail, one MP in jail, the deputy CM and CM in jail, what face could it present to the public? They did not have a single honest face left to go to the public and ask for votes. Their poster boy was corrupt CM Arvind Kejriwal, who was hesitant to put up the photo of his sitting CM,” Thakur said.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thakur said “We have seen the Prime Minister. His thought is that every moment has to be lived for the country, (he) wants to see this feeling in every Indian for a ‘viksit’ Bharat. And, the people of Delhi felt that Narendra Modi can provide houses where there are slums.”

On the deportation of Indians from the US in chains, Thakur said the external affairs minister has given a detailed reply in this regard.

“I would like to remind the Congress of the black days during the Emergency. The friends in the media were in chains, in jails for no fault. A photo of (former Union minister) George Fernandes in chains is doing rounds these days. The Congress should remember that time, which was the darkest chapter of Independent India,” he said.

He also termed his experience of taking dip in the Sangam in the ongoing Maha Kumbh as “fantastic”.

Commenting on the future of the INDIA bloc, the fifth term MP, said, “Any relationship works on truth, love and dedication, be it the seven ‘pheras’ (rounds taken around the fire during marriage) or the promise of moving together.

Similarly, if thugs gather, a political relationship cannot work, because there is no leader, nor any policy and there were “malafide intentions”, he said.

“They (INDIA bloc) could not move together even for seven months, and this togetherness was broken. And ‘pyaar hua, ikraar hua, phir takraav hua aur phir takraav ke baad bikhraav hua’ (first it was love, then it was acceptance, then friction and after friction, it was segregation).”