Arvind Kejriwal addresses AAP municipal councillors during the 'Councillor meeting', in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged his party's councillors in the MCD to prioritise garbage collection and cleanliness of the city instead of engaging in internal conflicts.
Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said in several constituencies, some party councillors wish to contest for the MLA's post in the Delhi Assembly polls, leading to conflict with the sitting legislators.
Several AAP councillors have also defected recently and joined the opposition BJP.
Addressing a gathering of the AAP municipal councillors, Kejriwal expressed confidence that his party would win the upcoming elections due in February if they maintained cleanliness in their respective wards.
The former Delhi chief minister said the AAP councillors would play a crucial role in securing victory for the party.
"In this election, you will play a key role. We are in the MCD and the public expects us to keep the city clean. In your respective areas, make rounds to ensure daily garbage collection and cleaning. If we can accomplish this much, I am hopeful we will win the elections. Our only target should be to win and we all need to work together," he stated.
Kejriwal also cautioned the councillors against being "overconfident" and stressed the importance of taking every election seriously.
In an apparent reference to the Congress party's underwhelming performance in the Haryana Assembly elections, Kejriwal without naming anyone said, "The (Delhi assembly) elections are around the corner. The first thing to keep in mind is to not take any election lightly. Today's election results show that one should not be overconfident. Every election is difficult and challenging. Don't fight amongst yourselves. We need to focus on the polls and work hard together."
He encouraged the councillors to resist the opposition's tactics aimed at dividing the party and urged them to stay motivated despite the challenges posed by the arrests of several party leaders.
"I used to read about the struggles and challenges you faced in the newspapers while I was in jail. The past two years have been an extremely difficult phase for the Aam Aadmi Party. The attacks against us have been unprecedented. At least in the politics of the national capital, I can't remember a time when a government attacked a party to the extent of arresting all its ministers, including myself," said Kejriwal advising the councillors to exercise "patience" during this challenging period.
"I thank you all for enduring this difficult time," he added.
Using his party colleague Manish Sisodia as an example, Kejriwal said, "I often thought of Manish Sisodia, whose wife is in extremely poor health, yet his resolve did not waver. He was approached many times to leave me and join their party, but he did not. He inspired me."
In an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal asserted that with God's support, the AAP had thwarted the BJP's attempts to weaken the party in both Delhi and Punjab.
He termed it as a fight between "Modi ji and God," claiming that the Almighty is on the side of truth with the AAP.
"I always say this. Modi ji is extremely powerful and has a lot of money, but he is not God. God is with us. Ultimately, God will prevail and he is on our side. This is a fight between him and God. Modi ji managed to get me arrested, but neither did the Delhi government collapse nor did our MLAs defect. The same happened in Punjab. Their plans to break our party were foiled," said Kejriwal.