AAP has all the money for 'bhrastachar' & 'prachar', none for doing its job: BJYM Delhi in-charge Abhishek Tandon

In a candid conversation with Prateek Shukla, the in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party Youth Wing, Delhi, Abhishek Tandon spoke freely about Delhi's water crisis, the national capital's infrastructure, and the 'inability' of the incumbent AAP government to deliver on its promises. Excerpts:

Q) You have served as the ABVP Delhi President. Now, you're the in-charge of the BJP's Youth Wing in Delhi. So, tell us how the saffron party is reaching out to youths, especially in the context of the 2025 Delhi polls.

A) We have launched an extensive programme under which the party is reaching out to at least 10 youths per booth. We inform them about the achievements of the BJP government at the Centre over the past decade. Simultaneously, we are also raising awareness about the various scams involving the Aam Aadmi Party government -- be it the liquor policy case or the Jal Board corruption case.

Q) Recently, three UPSC students died in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area when rainwater gushed into the basement of a coaching centre. You have said that the AAP government is to blame for the deaths. How?

A) The AAP government has all the money for 'bhrastachar' (corruption) and 'prachar' (advertisement) but none for doing its job. The lives of those three youths could have been saved had the MCD cleaned the drains in time. Why was it not done?

They (AAP ministers) say waterlogging is the result of record rainfall. But the truth is they have failed to lay new sewer lines and clean the drains. Even if it rains for an hour, Delhi is submerged in knee-deep water. Should the national capital be in such a dire condition?

Q) AAP claims that your party doesn't let them work. They allege that the MCD is not given funds.

A) As I said before, they have money for 'bhrastachar' (corruption) and 'prachar'... but if you ask them to work, they will start passing the buck. This is their Communist-inspired methodology -- don’t do anything, and if someone questions you, start blaming someone else.

It is laughable that their leaders start staging protests when they themselves are in power. All this is hogwash -- an attempt to divert people's attention from their inabilities and failures.

Q) Recently, Delhi faced a water crisis. The scenes of people running after water tankers caught global attention. You have also raised this issue and suggested the presence of "tanker mafias". Would you like to elaborate?

A) Delhi is going through two kinds of water crises. In the first, people are not getting a proper water supply. In the second, they are made to wade through knee-deep waterlogged streets every time it rains.

Their (AAP) leaders claimed Haryana is not sending them water to shirk their responsibility. Later, the Haryana government rebutted their accusation, showing that the state is actually supplying more water than it is mandated to.

And let me ask a simple question -- if there is no water in Delhi, how are tanker mafias getting it? During its term, AAP conducted no audit of Delhi's groundwater level. Is this how a government is run?

One should release a white paper, find solutions, and work on them. But all this logic is alien to them. After all, their leaders believe that governments can be run from jail.

Q) The population of Rohingyas and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has increased under AAP. Many of them have acquired Aadhaar cards too. How do you see the situation?

A) Some parties have facilitated illegal immigrants and even provided them with Aadhaar cards, free power, and free water -- all for the sake of the vote bank. It is disturbing.

I humbly urge all parties not to ignore the security of this nation for the sake of the vote bank. If the trend continues, we could see Bangladesh-like violence here in 10-15 years.

And let me state this -- these illegal immigrants are no friends of other parties. Once they have the numbers, they will not remain loyal to the parties currently supporting them. This is why I ask leaders across the political spectrum not to sacrifice tomorrow for the sake of today. They need to review their strategy.

Q) We saw how the Kanwar Yatra was not allowed to pass through Delhi's Indralok colony because the population of a particular community in the area has increased over time. What do you say to that?

A) This nation should only be run by the Constitution. All communities should feel safe everywhere. Individuals from all communities should have the right to celebrate their festivals as per the law.

Q) Your prime opponent in Delhi has a CM face. Do you?

A) In a recent BJP meeting, the party brass told us that we will fight the polls with 70 leaders. Our 70 MLA candidates are like our 70 lotus flowers. After the poll, we will decide which lotus flower should be picked as our CM candidate. This is the situation as of now. It may change when we are closer to the polls.

Q) AAP has claimed to overhaul Delhi's education and health infrastructure. Do you see the change?

A) Yes, I see a change for the worse. Their education model is such that educators have not been paid for months.

Meanwhile, the Mohalla clinics are in shambles. They (AAP) worked on 1-2 Mohalla clinics and spent lakhs of taxpayers' money to provide them with international media coverage. However, the majority of Mohalla clinics lack even basic medicines.

Several people have told me that doctors give them generic drugs without even listening to their problems in the Mohalla clinics. All AAP has done is use public money for advertisements on TV and radio.

In contrast, BJP has been holding free health camps in all seva bastis (jhuggi-jhopdi clusters), and the response has been phenomenal. From cancer screening to eye check-ups, we are providing the needy with free-of-cost services. I must thank all the party workers involved in this good cause. We are actually doing what the government should have been doing.

Q) After the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, questions were raised about cracks between the BJP and the RSS. Is the bonhomie intact?

A) There is absolutely no substance in such allegations. Every BJP member is a 'swayamsevak' of RSS.