As the date for the state assembly election drew near, Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered Delhi's pitched battleground to throw his weight behind BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi and take on Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal at a rally on Saturday in east Delhi's Karkardooma.
BJP, which has reportedly roped in as many as 120 Members of Parliament to address over 250 public meetings in the national capital, fielded it's star campaigner, Modi, during the last phase of campaigning. And Modi did not disappoint - at least in rhetoric.
In a scathing attack on AAP, Modi called the party "backstabber" and asked Delhiites not to repeat the "mistake" of voting for Arvind Kejriwal.
During his over half-an-hour address at the rally, Modi sought a clear mandate for the BJP, which fell short of majority in the 2013 polls, and asserted that his party will provide such a clean and stable government which people have "never seen" in the past, countering AAP's key election plank.
Taking on AAP without naming the party, Modi made fun of its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, saying it "created a world record in forfeiting deposits".
"The very people whom you voted for last time stabbed in your back. They shattered your dreams and destroyed Delhi. You gave them a befitting punishment in Lok Sabha polls. People do not repeat their mistakes again and again.," Modi said in the rally at Viswas Nagar in East Delhi.
Calling Delhi the face of India, he said this election would decide how the country is seen at the global stage. "There is no better place than Delhi for India's identity."
Modi also complimented Kiran Bedi, whose annointment as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate ruffled feathers in Delhi BJP, for her administrative abilities.
"She knows Delhi inside out. She has administrative experience and is well versed with the history and geography of Delhi. She is a woman with strong determination. She will take Delhi to new heights," the Prime Minister said.
Trying to woo the poor and the lower strata of the society, who are seen as backbone of AAP's support base, he said his government has already launched a war on corruption and promised in-situ development of slums.
"My government is for the poor. My plan is to replace all slums with concrete houses by 2022 when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence and I want to start it from Delhi."
The BJP is posing five questions everyday to its arch-rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), drawing a strong reaction from the latter.
"We are raising these questions. Some people may say they are old ones, they have been heard very often... it does not matter. The people of Delhi, before they vote, want to know the answer from the Aam Aadmi Party about these questions," BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said at a press conference on Friday.
Elections for the 70-seat assembly in Delhi will take place on February 7, with the counting of the votes set for February 10.
(With inputs from PTI & ANI)