‘Manoj Tiwari wants votes in Modi’s name’

NEW DELHI: In his third roadshow, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency on Friday and urged people not to vote for the ‘dancer and singer’, as he called BJP sitting MP Manoj Tiwari, but for AAP candidate Dilip Pandey. The latter can’t dance, he said, but will work for the people.
Kejriwal also quipped, “Manoj Tiwari is saying ‘Modi ke naam pe vote de’, not ‘kaam ke naam pe vote de’.”
Kejriwal’s roadshow started at Sonia Vihar, a lower middle class area dominated by Poorvanchalis.Unlike the previous two roadshows, which started from AAP bastions, on Friday the party chose an area that is a BJP stronghold.
There was a large number of AAP supporters waving flags with the party symbol broom and carrying cut-outs of Kejriwal and Pandey. The candidate came before Kejriwal and climbed atop an open jeep and obliged a crowd of selfie-seekers. Kejriwal’s arrival was welcomed with loud cheers. As the jeep carrying Kejriwal and Pandey moved ahead slowly, residents lined up the corners of the narrow streets or looked on from balconies and terraces. “I was curious to see our chief minister up close but when it comes to voting, I will vote for national security,” said Girish Kumar.
The weather turned ominous, but the roadshow didn’t come to a halt even when a dust storm hit the area. A little later, stopped at an intersection and addressed the residents, greeting them with ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and telling them not to plan any visits to their villages on May 12 but to go and cast their votes.
Kejriwal then began assailing Tiwari. “How many of you have met or even seen Manoj Tiwari in the last five years? Did he come here? Has he got roads made, got school admission for your children or arranged pensions for senior citizens?” he asked.
Kejriwal said the people of the constituency should vote for someone who actually worked for them. “You can knock on Dilip Pandey’s door at midnight or 2 am and he will help you, whether it is about stopping a demolition or taking a sick person to the hospital,” he declared. “Manoj Tiwari is busy 24 hours performing across the country. That is one thing that Dilip Pandey can’t do. Give your vote to someone who knows how to work, not dancer.”