NEW DELHI: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday (January 24, 2025)  took a jab at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that there is barely any difference between the two. He also dared Kejriwal to walk through Okhla, alleging that residents would "shower him with shoes."

While campaigning for AIMIM candidate Shifa-ur-Rehman in the Okhla constituency ahead of the Delhi elections, Owaisi remarked, "Kejriwal and Modi are like two brothers—two sides of the same coin. Both are products of the RSS ideology - one from its 'shakhas' and the other from its institutions."

Predicting that the people would reject AAP in the February 5 elections, Owaisi said, "I challenge Arvind Kejriwal to walk on the roads of Okhla. When I walked here, people greeted me with flowers. If he does, they will greet him with shoes."

Owaisi also reached Shaheen Bagh, urging the public to back the "kite," the election symbol of his party, in the upcoming polls. AIMIM has fielded two candidates in the Delhi elections: Shifa-ur-Rehman from Okhla and Tahir Hussain from Mustafabad.

Tahir Hussain, previously a councillor from the Aam Aadmi Party, joined AIMIM last December after spending time in jail.

In his public address, Owaisi criticized Kejriwal’s government, accusing it of selective justice. He questioned, "How did Kejriwal get bail in the liquor policy case while Tahir Hussain and Shifa-ur-Rehman have been languishing in jail for five years? Leaders like Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh managed to secure bail, but these two remain behind bars. What crime did they commit?"

Owaisi also attacked Kejriwal over the lack of development in Okhla. He said, "Every other constituency is developing, but Okhla has been neglected. Under the AAP government, Okhla has become a dumping ground for garbage." He reiterated, "When I walk these roads, people welcome me with flowers. If Kejriwal were to walk here, he would face slippers instead."
Owaisi also expressed confidence that the BJP would fail to win in Okhla. "The BJP has never won here, and it won’t succeed this time either," he said.

The results of the Delhi assembly elections will be announced on February 8.