CM Kejriwal will soon be in Delhi for MCD campaign: Gopal Rai

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the MCD election, Delhi convener and minister Gopal Rai is optimistic about winning the MCD this time. In an interview with The Sunday Guardian, he said that the AAP is focusing on a positive campaign, and in the last week of the polls, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will join the MCD election campaign too. Excerpts:
Q: If the AAP wins the MCD election, what are the new promises?
A: If the AAP wins the MCD, we will fulfill all the 10 guarantees promised by the party. Currently, we are focusing on five ways of campaigning. For instance, conducting Nukkad Sabha at every ward, every market, where all the star campaigners are present. Similarly, we are also focusing on the second round of door-to-door campaigning with the theme “Kejriwal ki sarkar aur Kejriwal ki Parshad” Again, conducting booth samvad with a gathering of at least 40 to 50 people where we are discussing the outcome of AAP winning the election. Lastly, we are organising “Dance for Democracy” to create a buzz among the people. We are focusing on positive campaigning.
Q: There are multiple videos of Satyender Jain out on social media where he is seen getting a massage and being served an outside meal, which is against the jail manual; why is the party not taking action against him?
A: Who decided on the jail manual? Neither you nor I. It is for the court to decide. The court has made it very clear that it is against the law to leak videos, and it has also stated that any assistance a person may require must be provided.
Q: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and the top leadership seem focused on Gujarat campaigning and we have seen only one rally by him in Delhi. Is he now focusing on being the new national leader with PM ambitions?
A: CM Arvind Kejriwal will soon come for the campaign in the last week and will adopt different methods of campaigning. We will provide the details on this later.
Q: Though the AAP has remained in power, the party has failed to tackle pollution problems and ensure Yamuna cleanliness. Why?
A: There are several steps taken by the AAP and a lot is yet left to be done. People have voted for Congress, as well as BJP. When the people voted for Congress, the party (Congress) didn’t take any steps; also voting for BJP was futile. At least, according to the people, the AAP does take some action so people are supporting AAP. We are working to complete any tasks that have not yet been completed. When we are talking about pollution, five years ago, Delhi was under the “severe” category for 1.5 months.
Last year, Delhi was under the “severe” category for 23 days, and this year, Delhi was under the “severe” category for only three days. So, this reflects the true picture of AAP.
Q: Why does the party believe that there are no liquor scams even when several investigations done by the CBI mention bribery and illegal issuance of an L-1 licence?
A: There is no such report. The allegations are false.