Lokpal, 24x7 mkts, ration delivery in AAP manifesto
Party promises ‘deshbhakti’ course; education, health also in focus
NEWDELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday released its manifesto for the February 8 assembly polls in Delhi, assuring voters of its continued commitment to a Jan Lokpal Bill that will institute an independent citizens’ ombudsman for investigating political and government corruption, and full statehood for the national capital.
The party also spelled out plans to initiate large-scale recruitment of sanitation workers, keep some markets, shops and restaurants open 24x7, introduce a “Deshbhakti” (patriotism) curriculum in government schools, launch doorstep delivery of subsidised rations and protection of commercial establishments from the sealing drive.
“The manifesto has promises which will take Delhi to the next level in terms of development. People of India will be proud of Delhi in the next five years,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said after releasing the sevenpage manifesto with a preamble in Hindi that highlighted the importance of good education and health care.
Kejriwal also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for failing to name a chief ministerial candidate for Delhi and challenged the party to do so by 1 pm on Wednesday. “People should be allowed to choose their chief minister. The BJP is depriving
people of this right. I challenge BJP to name a candidate by 1 pm tomorrow. I am ready to engage in a debate with their CM face,” he said. The AAP released a 28-point manifesto this year against a 70-point vision document in 2015. Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that these assurances were “over and above” those the party mentioned in its “guarantee card” released last month.
The guarantee card listed assurances such as one to continue the subsidies on power and water consumption, achieving a fleet size of 11,000 for Delhi buses, extending free bus rides for women to students, a “world class” education facility for every child, deploying marshals in local neighbourhoods to enhance security for women,
accessible and affordable health care facilities, reducing pollution to at least one-third of current levels and a housing scheme for slum inhabitants.
“We are giving guarantees and not jumlas (false promises),” said Sisodia, taking a dig at the manifestos released by the BJP and the Congress on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Several assurances mentioned in the AAP’s manifesto, by Kejriwal’s own admission, would require the Centre’s cooperation. They include pushing for the Jan Lokpal Bill, Swaraj Bill which seeks to decentralise decision making give the mantle to the people, statehood for Delhi, expansion of metro network and regularisation of unauthorised colonies.
These promises — along with few others such as making resettlement colonies freehold, fighting for justice for families of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and regularisation of sanitation workers hired on a contractual basis — were part of the party’s 2015 manifesto too.
Some of the assurances have been incorporated for the first time. They include round-theclock markets and commercial spaces, and a spoken English, personality development and soft skill module for students who have completed studies in any Delhi-based school in the past five years.
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to announce its chief ministerial candidate by 1pm Wednesday and said that he is ready for a debate with whoever the saffron party chooses as the CM face for the February 8 assembly polls.
At a rally later in the evening, Union home minister Amit Shah hit back at Kejriwal and said that each BJP worker is prepared enough to engage in a debate with the Delhi chief minister.
Later, the BJP’s Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari said that if Kejriwal wants to engage in a debate, he is ready.
Both the BJP and the Congress have not named their chief ministerial candidates for the Delhi assembly polls.
“People should be allowed to choose their chief minister. The BJP is depriving people of this right. People of Delhi want the BJP to name their CM candidate. If BJP declares its CM candidate by 1pm tomorrow, I am ready for a public debate with him and we will work out modalities for the same,” said Kejriwal, also the national convener of the AAP, soon after releasing the party’s manifesto on Tuesday afternoon.
Kejriwal said the BJP can decide place for the debate, adding that in democracy, people should have a chance to ask a question. By withholding the name of CM candidate, senior BJP leaders and Shah are demanding a “blank cheque” from the people of Delhi, he said.
“In a democracy, the chief minister is chosen by people not by Amit Shah... What if Amit Shah names some uneducated person for the CM post, which will be a betrayal to the people of Delhi,” said Kejriwal.
He further said, “I ask people everywhere that your one vote will directly go to Kejriwal. People want to know where their vote will go if they support the BJP in the election. If they don’t have a chief ministerial candidate, it means people’s vote for BJP will go waste.”
Responding to Kejriwal, Shah said, “Kejriwal ji asked us to declare our candidate for chief minister and said he is ready to debate. For this, there is no need to announce a chief minister candidate. He just needs to tell us time and place as a karyakarta (party workers) from BJP will come to the debate. They are more than capable… As far as the chief minister is concerned, our chief minister is the people of Delhi.”