No sympathy for AAP in Delhi, says Bidhuri

‘My priority is to spread work done by PM’

When Sheila Dikshit was CM and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was PM, they had no differences. But ever since AAP came into power they have had all kinds of problems and level all kinds of allegations at the central government. They don't talk about the way these AAP people treat us in the assembly.

— Ramvir Singh Bidhuri

BJP South Delhi candidate

Contesting from the South Delhi constituency as a BJP candidate, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, a senior MLA in Delhi, who has spent over five decades in politics with four stints as a legislator and the Leader of Opposition, in a freewheeling interview with Shashi Bhushan and Bhaskar Hari Sharma talks about the initiatives taken by PM Narendra Modi for Delhi—be it urban village development or combating air pollution with the construction of the peripheral roads and modernisation of public transport.

Excerpts

What are your priorities or agenda for the constituency?

The first and foremost thing we are doing is telling the people about the work done by the PM Narendra Modi-led government in Delhi. Be it the construction of peripheral roads to divert trucks or a six-lane highway being built from Kalindi Kunj past Badarpur to connect with the Delhi-Mumbai highway. This will end the Mathura Road traffic jams. The PM has provided Delhi with two worldclass conference centres in Dwarka and Pragati Maidan. An eco-park is also being built in Badarpur at a cost of `1,600 crore with jogging tracks, cycle tracks, boating, greenery, and fountains.

Will the arrest of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal affect BJP in Delhi? People will give “Jail ka jawab vote se” as not only the Delhiites but now everyone across the country knows the level of corruption AAP has done. There is no sympathy for them. People have seen

their corrupt and original faces.

Why does the Opposition, particularly AAP, accuse the BJP of misusing investigative agencies to finish the party?

Neither BJP nor ED or CBI sent them to jail. They were sent to jail by the courts. They spent crores of taxpayers’ money on high-profile lawyers, but the courts prima facie think Mr Kejriwal had a role to play in the liquor scam. How can AAP say this was done as a vendetta? When the same court granted bail to their leader they hailed the court’s decision but when they are denied bail it is misusing the agencies.

Being a four-time legislator and LoP this time what do you think about the way Delhi is functioning?

When Sheila Dikshit was CM and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was PM, they had no differences. But ever since AAP came into power they have had all kinds of problems and level all kinds of allegations at the Central government. They don’t talk about the way AAP treats us in the Assembly. Every time we want to raise an issue they marshal out BJP MLAs and then they talk about vendetta politics. What they do to us, isn’t that vendetta?

Is the Opposition INDIA bloc a difficulty for the BJP?

The so-called alliance is only for electoral gain. There are two types of alliances—one is natural, where people adhere to a common minimal agenda. But this alliance is for personal gains. AAP joined hands with those whom they once used to term corrupt. Why didn’t they join hands with Congress in Punjab? Because it is not AAP’s mindset to share power, they want to grab everything. For alliance, one has to sacrifice, which AAP cannot and this is why Mr Kejriwal is not resigning as chief minister despite being in jail. You will see on June 4, BJP is sweeping all seven seats in Delhi and NDA will be over 400.

How will you reach out to the rural voters in your constituency who allege that there wasn’t much done for them?

The Delhi government hadn’t spent around `1,200 crore on the development of urban villages but after the Union home minister’s intervention, the Delhi L-G gave the money to DDA and started development activities in all the villages not only in my constituencies but across the Delhi dehat. Also, the home minister has ordered that gram sabha lands should only be used for village projects like a hospital, college, park, ground, or barat ghar and not for any other activities.