Arvind Kejriwal invites Sheila Dikshit for debate

Arvind Kejriwal today dared Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for a public debate with him on issues relating to "inflated" power and water bills and women's safety among others.

AAP leader Kejriwal, who responded to Dikshit's Political Secretary Pawan Khera's letter objecting to targeting the Chief Minister, also rejected charges that he muddied the politics in the national capital.

"I invite you for a public debate. This debate may happen at Ramlila Maidan. Date and time will be of your (Dikshit) convenience. But I know you will not accept this challenge," he said in a letter to the Chief Minister.

In the letter, the AAP leader also asked Dikshit not to give party tickets to politicians who have criminal records.

"In the Delhi Assembly, there are 16 Congress MLAs who are charged with serious criminal offences. How can these people make laws against rape, corruption and murder? Legislative Assembly is like a temple. And presence of such people will spoil the sanctity of the temple," he said.

Khera, in his letter sent five days ago, had asked Kejriwal to refrain from making personal attacks on the Chief Minister which reduce politics to a "cheap gimmick".

Kejriwal said if Dikshit wants clean governance then she must tell Congress not to give tickets to more than one member of a family.

"In India, politics is under the grasp of dynasty and family rule. My sincere request to you is to tell your party not to give tickets to more than one member of a family. I know this might force either you or your son- Mr Sandip Dikshit- to retire from politics," he said.

On the issue of women's safety, Kejriwal said that being a woman herself, Dikshit chose to do nothing to curb growing violence against women in the capital.

"Women here do not feel safe any more. Whenever a rape happens in Delhi, you shift the blame to Delhi Police saying it is not under your control. Delhi people do not need a chief minister who is so helpless. People need a chief minister who can protect its citizens," he said.

Talking about the issue of inflated power and water bills, Kejriwal alleged that Delhi government was hand-in-glove with the power companies.

"Both the Congress and BJP have a nexus with power companies and water companies. You kept on increasing the price of power and water and the BJP, on and off, held protests to hog limelight. Common people have been looted in the process but everything was fine for the Congress and the BJP," Kejriwal said.

The former Team Anna member said in order to have "clean governance", there is a need to maintain transparency in the records of the donations that political parties get from different sources.