The Delhi CM alleged that BJP was secretly planning to remove electricity and water departments from the ambit of the Delhi Govt
Stepping up the party's campaign for the Delhi Municipal polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and the state's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held his first public meeting in northeast Delhi's Burari constituency on Friday.
Amidst a charged-up crowd and roaring loudspeakers, Kejriwal slammed the BJP and the Congress for turning Delhi into a "garbage bin." He also blamed the BJP for hatching a conspiracy to snatch the electricity and water departments from the ambit of the Delhi government.
"Recently, a senior BJP leader told me that they are conspiring to transfer the two basic necessities of Delhi to the Municipal Corporation as it was prior to 1998," he said.
Requesting the people of Delhi to elect AAP with a majority he said, "It's very important that we should come in power in MCD as well to continue with the Delhi government's free water and half electricity bill schemes."
Kejriwal challenged BJP president Amit Shah to have a debate on the work done by AAP in the last two years in Delhi and in any BJP-ruled state. Shah had recently blamed the AAP-led Delhi government for doing nothing for the development of Delhi.
Counting the work done by AAP government in Delhi, Kejriwal said "12.5 lakh households here have access to free water. I challenge Amit Shah to do the same in Gujarat or Maharashtra," he said, as the crowd applauded.
"Similarly, in terms of healthcare facilities, the Delhi government has done exceptionally well. Burari constituency itself will get 200 mohalla clinics shortly," Kejriwal promised. Presently there are two operated mohalla clinics in the area.
Burari, as Kejriwal's first choice to start with the campaign, was not accidental. Eighty per cent of the area of the constituency is dotted with unauthorized colonies mainly habitated by the migrants from Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh — popularly known as Purvanchalis.
The constituency was earlier considered a traditional Congress bastion but their support shifted to AAP in the 2015 Delhi assembly elections. Party MLA from the area Sanjeev Jha is one of the several Purvanchali members of Delhi assembly.
"In the last two years of the AAP government in Delhi, the development work of around Rs 700 crores has been done in Burari itself," Jha claimed.
Among the major civic issues of the area, garbage piles and open sewers continue to remain the major problems for the people in Burari. "The MCD employees ask for Rs 50 from every household to clear our drains even as this has to be done free of cost," says Poonam Singh, a housewife.
"There are mountains of garbage lying in front of every road here. We want AAP to take major steps for removing them to make this place a little liveable," said Krishan Singh, a street vendor.
Meanwhile, the locals were seen returning with brooms distributed by the party volunteers ahead of the event. "Chalo kum se kum ghar ka kooda hatane ke liye to kaam ayegi," said Shanti Devi, another local, as she lifted a broom in the air.
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