New Delhi: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, on Sunday, sharply criticised the governance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) under former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing the party of failing to deliver on key promises and projects.
“They are a factory of liars,” the union minister said during a press conference, further referencing several “guarantees” made by Kejriwal’s AAP during the 2020 Delhi elections.
Highlighting promises like 24-hour free electricity and 200 units of free power for every household, Puri emphasised that the expenditure on free power had surged from ₹290 crore to ₹3,250 crore under AAP’s rule.
On the issue of water, Puri said that AAP had promised 24-hour access to pure piped drinking water with 20,000 litres free per household. He emphasized the disparity in water access, claiming that in some areas, only one water tap served three slums.
Puri also slammed the quality of the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) water, calling it “almost undrinkable” and pointing out that many households had to install water purification systems at their own expense.
In education, Puri sharply criticised AAP’s promises of “world-class education,” accusing the Delhi government of inflating its achievements. “They promised 500 schools; by 2022, only 65 were built,” he said, questioning the government’s claims about expanding education facilities.
Citing a report by the central vigilance commission, Puri alleged that AAP had counted bathrooms as classrooms. He also claimed the Delhi government had failed to hire any new teachers for over a decade, with a shortfall of 6,000 teachers. “There are 43,000 permanent teachers and 30,000 guest teachers in Delhi schools, but the need is 62,000,” he said, highlighting the understaffing issue.
Puri attacked AAP for its failure to build new hospitals in the past decade, stating that “not a single bed was added” to Delhi’s healthcare system during that time.
He also condemned the state of ‘Mohalla Clinics,’ saying, “Mohalla Clinics are a testament to the failure of their health policy,” noting that 362 out of 520 clinics operated out of portable cabins instead of proper medical facilities. Puri further alleged that the clinics were plagued by untimely closures, staff shortages, and an Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation that uncovered 65,000 fictitious patient records. He also criticized the Delhi government for not adopting the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
Turning to infrastructure, Puri accused the Delhi government of delaying metro expansion projects and failing to provide timely funding. He claimed that AAP did not release ₹7,201 crore in funding, which hindered progress on the Delhi Metro project. Despite these alleged obstacles, Puri credited the central government for facilitating the growth of what he called one of the world’s best metro networks, now extending over 1,000 km and serving more than 70 lakh passengers daily. “In spite of all these obstructions, we have 1,000 km of metro—the third best in the world—and soon we’ll be second,” he added, attributing these developments to Prime Minister Modi’s government.
Addressing environmental concerns, Puri noted, “Yamuna pollution levels are 500 times higher than the prescribed levels.” He criticised the Delhi government’s inability to manage pollution, particularly in the Yamuna river, which continues to suffer severe contamination.
On urban development, Puri criticised AAP for failing to implement housing schemes for slum dwellers and addressing unauthorized colonies. He mentioned the AAP government’s promise to provide permanent housing to people in slums under the “Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan” scheme. Puri further alleged that AAP had failed to implement the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Delhi, claiming, “We wrote to them multiple times to complete the task,” but they did not cooperate. He accused senior AAP politicians of engaging in property acquisition instead of resolving the issue.
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Puri concluded by drawing a sharp distinction between the BJP and AAP, saying, “The fundamental difference between the BJP and them is that whatever we say, we do.”
These remarks come as the political battle intensifies ahead of Delhi’s upcoming elections, scheduled for February 5.
There was no immediate reaction from AAP to Singh’s charges.
