‘One a dynast, the other communal’: Arvind Kejriwal targets Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi

New Delhi –  Arvind Kejriwal has explained why Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi find a place on his list of politicians who must be defeated.

Mr Kejriwal had about 10 days ago released what he calls a list of “corrupt people.” He named many prominent leaders of major political parties and, prompted by the audience, had included Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. (Read) He later attacked both Mr Gandhi and Mr Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, for spending massive sums of money on their election campaigns.

Mr Kejriwal said on Sunday that his list included politicians he found wanting on four different counts – “the corrupt, criminal, communal or dynastic.”

Asked if he would contest against Mr Gandhi or Mr Modi to keep them from winning their elections, Mr Kejriwal would only say, “My party’s Kumar Vishwas has already been named to contest against Rahul Gandhi.” Mr Gandhi, a fourth generation politician from the first family of the Congress, is the Lok Sabha MP from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Kejriwal also said, to much applause and laughter from his audience at the Delhi Literature Festival, “Is Mr Modi contesting the Lok Sabha elections? It’s a hypothetical question.”

The Lok Sabha election 2014 are being seen by many as a direct contest between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who is seen by many as a polarizing figure.

Mr Kejriwal burst on the electoral scene with a spectacular debut in the Delhi assembly elections in December. His Aam Aadmi Party won 28 of Delhi’s 70 seats; he himself chose not to contest a “safe seat” but took three-term chief minister Sheila Dikshit head on and defeated her by a massive margin.

Buoyed by the Delhi experiment, Mr Kejriwal has now announced that his party will contest more than 350 of the 542 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and will field candidates against all those who figure on his “list.”