Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta claims that the AAP government has indulged in various scams.
NEW DELHI: The delimitation panel has put up its draft report for public suggestions and objections. Amid this development, Delhi BJP has started preparing for the upcoming MCD polls. The Sunday Guardian talked to Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta to know how the party will tackle the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the local polls. Excerpts:
Q: What will be the main issues that Delhi BJP will take up keeping MCD elections in mind?
A: After completion of the delimitation process, Delhi BJP will take up issues like corruption and scams by the Delhi government. There are various scams done by the AAP government like the DTC scam and classroom scam. But there is one big issue with which we are going to the public, which is AAP’s liquor scam. Some people were given benefits of the new excise policy introduced by the AAP government. They made crores of rupees and, on the other hand, Delhi’s revenues fell.
The second big issue which we will take up in public is the achievements of the Municipal Corporation. Earlier, 3-4 vehicles were used in a ward to collect garbage from homes, but now 10-15 vehicles are deployed in a ward to collect garbage and prevent littering on the streets. We are working on the reduction of three landfill sites in the capital and we are continuously working on it. Other big achievements which we have carried out are the digitization of the MCD, and building health and educational infrastructure at the primary level.
Apart from this, we have also started campaigning on the booth level by taking the achievements of the Modi government to the people. We are especially taking the schemes launched by the Union government amid the pandemic like “Annapurna Yojana” in which 74 lakh people of Delhi got free ration, PM SWA NidhiYojana and UjjwalaYojana. AAP has made 39 schemes on paper and nothing has been done on the ground. They make schemes to indulge in scams. I am confident that Delhi’s public will show faith in the BJP.
Q: When can the Delhi MCD elections take place?
A: If we talk technically, first unification took place and then the process of delimitation was started by the Election Commission. The Home Ministry gave four months to the Commission. Now delimitation notification has come out for public suggestions and objections and its last date is 3 October. I think this process will take around one month more, till the first week of November the delimitation panel might submit the final report. This means the next step is the election.
Q: How do you look at the reduction of 22 seats in MCD after delimitation?
A: When the unification bill came to Parliament, the Home Minister asked to limit seats to 250. This is not making a huge difference. Our development work will be carried out on these 250 wards also.
Q: How BJP’s campaign against AAP has benefited the party?
A: AAP formed the government and they got power, but they misused it. In the new excise policy, they have done corruption. They opened liquor shops near temples and schools, even shops were opened in residential areas. They did all this for money. I think even one who drinks liquor wants no alcohol shop in his area because he knows it ruins the family. We have loudly taken up this issue. This policy has badly impacted the people of Delhi, especially poor women. The AAP government launched various schemes, but nothing was done on the ground. They used huge money made by corruption in their election campaign and the public got nothing.
Q: Why have agencies not arrested any AAP leader so far in the alleged liquor scam?
A: The Enforcement Directorate took 2-3 years to arrest Satyendra Jain. Every agency has its procedure and they follow it. But many things have come up against AAP. Until the investigation is over, agencies will not take the final decision. This procedure takes time.
Q: Is there any “mission lotus” going on in Delhi and Punjab?
A: This is all rubbish; AAP has made a propaganda university “Delhi Jhoot University”. Daily, they launch new propaganda to divert people’s attention from the real issues.