Panaji: The vote share of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP could have slipped by around eight percent since May 2014, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.
Kejriwal said during an interaction with editors here that barring the hardcore rightwing voters, a section of people who voted for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections feel cheated by what the AAP leader claimed was Modi’s failure to deliver on his promises.
“The BJP won 31 percent votes last time. Of this, 8-10 percent could belong to hardcore Hindutva, 7-8 percent votes could belong to the segment who are extremists and those who believe in Hindu ideology,” he said.
“The rest of the people were fooled by the Gujarat model of development. Those people feel cheated today.
“People are disenchanted with them. I have a feeling they have already reached 21-22 percent level, a slip of 8 percent. I do not think they will come back in 2019,” Kejriwal said.
He added that he did not want to become the Prime Minister.
“I don’t want to be Prime Minister. I don’t want to be anything. My request is to let me work as the Chief Minister of Delhi.”
Kejriwal also said that people were aware how the Modi government was going back on its own promises.
“Whatever promises they have made, they are going back on each of their promises, one by one, one by one. They have started calling their promises jumla. So people can’t believe in them any more. People know they lie.”
Kejriwal accused the NDA government of creating an atmosphere of fear in the country.
“If one doesn’t say Bharat Mata ki Jai, they beat you up. If one says Bharat Mata ji Jai in Kashmir, they beat you up. If one doesn’t eat beef, they beat you up, if you eat beef they beat you up too. They have made universities practically into war zones,” said Kejriwal, who was on a three-day trip to poll-bound Goa.
“They have created a sense fear in the country. The good people who supported the BJP last time round are saying we have made a mistake,” he added.
Kejriwal dismissed allegations that his Aam Aadmi Party had links with rightwing forces.
“When will our so-called rightwing links emerge? It has been two years that we are running a government in Delhi. The links still have not emerged. And if we had links, then we would not have abused Modi. We are not mincing any words while criticizing the rightwing forces and their leader. We are raising our voice against their hooliganism,” he said.