Not migrants, you are Delhi residents, Nitish tells Purvanchalis
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday tried to woo Purvanchali voters living in Delhi ahead of the MCD polls saying that they are not migrants to Delhi but are residents here.
“Lakhs of people from Bihar have come to Delhi in search of jobs and they earn their livelihood through hard work. However, people still call them migrants! Bihar ke log prawasi nahi, niwasi hain. (They are not migrants, they are residents of Delhi),” Kumar said, while addressing a rally for the MCD elections at Jaitpur in support of Janata Dal (United) candidates for the wards in Badarpur constituency.
Badarpur is dotted with unauthorised colonies and is home to a large population of Purvanchalis — people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Asking for support of Purvanchalis for his party in the MCD elections, Kumar said the BJP, which has been ruling the MCD for 10 years, is responsible for the poor condition of the city.
“They talk about smart cities but let us ask them to at least make Delhi smart. Condition of most of the roads is very bad. I saw lack of proper drainage, sewage, and heaps of garbage across colonies of the city. Most parts of the city are a mess, barring Lutyens’ zone,” he said.
JD(U) has fielded 101 candidates, mostly in Purvanchali dominated areas, for 272 seats in the MCD elections and its ministers and MLAs from Bihar are camping in Delhi to assist party candidates.
Taking up the cause of unauthorised colonies, where a large chunk of Purvanchalis live in Delhi, Kumar said that the colonies should be regularised and provided with necessary civic amenities.
“So many people come to Delhi for work. Where will they live? Should they live on platforms of railway stations! They are living in these so-called unauthorised colonies. Be it the Centre or the state government or the municipal corporations, all of them should do their bit so that people get the basic facilities,” he said.
There are an estimated 40 lakh voters from the Purvanchal region in Delhi. There are a number of assembly constituencies where the Purvanchalis form more than 30% of the population. JD(U), for the MCD polls, is focusing on Narela, Burari, Kirari, Seelampur, Badarpur, Sangam Vihar and Matia Mahal to maximise impact of the Purvanchali vote bank.
Kumar on Sunday also batted for complete statehood to Delhi for better administration and improved law and order, Biharlike liquor ban in the Capital and also expressed concern over reports that liquor shops closed on national highways after Supreme Court order were being shifted inside cities. He also talked about the achievements of the Bihar government and asked people to give the JD(U) candidates an opportunity to serve them.