Accused in scams to be forced to return every penny, says Modi in Delhi

PM Modi vows to return looted money by corrupt politicians to the people if re-elected. AAP accuses him of cheating, failing on pre-poll promises.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress over alleged cases of graft, and said that if voted back to power, his government will ensure that all the money “looted” by politicians who are “corrupt” will be returned to the people.

PM Narendra Modi in Delhi on Wednesday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Modi made the remarks while addressing a mammoth Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally at the Sector 14 DDA ground in Dwarka, which falls under the West Delhi parliamentary constituency.

The AAP hit back, accusing Modi of cheating the people of India, and alleging that he has failed to deliver on any of his pre-poll promises.

During a 43-minute speech in support of four BJP Delhi candidates – Bansuri Swaraj (New Delhi), Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (South Delhi), Yogender Chandolia (North West Delhi) and Kamaljeet Sehrawat (West Delhi), Modi said he is announcing a guarantee — to intensify the crackdown on the corrupt.

“In Delhi, we are witnessing the games of kattar bhrashtachari (fiercely corrupt) people. They have spared no chance to loot the people of Delhi. Even the courts are amazed at the loot by these people. They came to change politics but betrayed Delhi,” Modi said.

“Whether it is the money they have earned from the liquor scam or the National Herald scam, we will recover every single paisa from these corrupt people. The ones who have looted the people will have to return the money,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi further claimed that ₹9,000 crore has been seized by officials after the elections were declared. “We are taking legal opinion...this money belongs to innocent citizens... If we get a money trail, we will return this money to the people... The lives of these robbers will be spent in jail,” he said.

“Even more than what we did over the last 10 years... we will use even more power, without any pressure, without any fear, to act against these corrupt people. Modi will X-ray the properties of these corrupt people,” he added.

Hitting out at what he called the “Khan Market gang”, Modi said he is criticised whenever he utters the word “Muslim”.

“I am only highlighting their acute communal activities with facts but their entire ecosystem shouts that we are engaging in Hindu-Muslim. Congress did similar things before Independence, which led to Partition...I am not doing Hindu-Muslim... They are playing the ‘vote jihad’ game. I am exposing their vote bank politics,” he said.

Modi also said that all the parties that make up the INDIA bloc have certain common traits — they are sampradayik (communal), jaatiwadi (casteist), and pariwarwadi (dynastic).

“The time has come that such communal people should be identified and my Muslim brothers should also identify them,” he said.

“They want to provide bank loans, government tenders, and provide entry to sports on lines of religion... They oppose CAA for vote bank… Even in the Batla House encounter (in 2008) they were shedding tears, and they are the ones who oppose the triple talaq law... They have all come together to form the opposition alliance,” he said.

He also alleged that the Congress and its allies have snatched the rights of backward communities.

“Delhi’s Jamia Millia (Islamia) university was providing reservations to SC/ST and backward communities for 60 years, but the Congress government in 2011 declared it to be minority institution and the 50% reservation for Muslims was started... I want to ask people who claim to be the messiah of backward communities — why they were silent?” he said.

Addressing the Sikh community — an influential community in West Delhi —Modi mentioned the 1984 riots and said that every party standing under the umbrella of the Congress should be held accountable for the violence that took place during the riots.

“It was us (the BJP government) who made the SIT on the matter and brought Congress leaders to justice. For them, there is nothing beyond their vote bank,” the Prime Minister said.

Listing infrastructure projects in Delhi undertaken by his government — the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Bharat Mandapam, National War Memorial, Prime Ministers museum, and the Yashobhoomi convention centre, Modi said the Capital will become a hub of meeting and expos.

He also spoke about welfare schemes launched by his government, including free ration, subsidised gas cylinders, and piped supply of cooking gas, among other schemes.

The Prime Minister also contrasted the 60 years that the Congress was in power at the Centre with the 10 years of his government. He said his government has increased the pace of highway construction, significantly increased the number of airports, medical colleges, piped water connectivity, and cooking gas connections, among other sectors. “Delhi hosted the G20 Summit and the whole world acknowledged us... All this was possible because BJP’s model is committed to the nation first, while on the other hand, the Congress and its alliance have only one agenda — family first,” he said.

In response, the AAP in a statement said that political leaders accused of corruption can join the BJP to be “absolved of their crime”.

“The BJP is the most corrupt party in the history of Indian politics. Anyone who is corrupt can join the BJP and be absolved of all their crimes. People have seen several examples such as Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Ashok Chavan, Praful Patel etc pass through BJP’s washing machine. Investigation agencies gave them a clean chit after they joined the BJP. The BJP also orchestrated the ₹8,000 crore electoral bond scam, which is the biggest organised scam in Indian history,” the statement said.