‘Would campaign for BJP in 2019 if ‘Delhi’ granted statehood’ : Arvind Kejriwal

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New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said if Delhi was granted was full statehood before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi Party would campaign in favour of BJP. He also said that anything less than that would result in a ‘BJP quit Delhi’ campaign. Kejriwal was speaking on the last day of the special session of the Delhi Assembly.

“I want to say to BJP, give full statehood status to Delhi before Lok Sabha polls, every vote of the people will go in favour of BJP and we will campaign for them in Lok Sabha election but if they (BJP) do not give full statehood to Delhi, people here will say BJP, quit Delhi.” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether his promise to give full statehood to Delhi during the 2014 Lok Sabha election was just a ‘jumla’.

“We will have to fight for development of Delhi, our children’s future… I want to ask Modi ji that he had promised full statehood status to Delhiites during the last Lok Sabha election. I want to ask him whether it was ‘jumla’,” he said.

‘L-G, quit Delhi’

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls AAP has decided to strongly raise the issue of full statehood among the residents of Delhi. At present, Delhi has only partial statehood, which means important subjects like land, law and order and police still remain under the centre. Under its campaign, AAP has given workers a slogan – ‘L-G, quit Delhi’

The Lieutenant Governor is the administrative head and represents the centre in Delhi. Kejriwal equated the lieutenant governor with viceroys during the British rules, Kejriwal said that Delhi was being ruled by ‘Kings’ since 1556, he added that India got independence in 1947 but Delhi is yet to get ‘freedom’ as the Centre have appointed L-G in place of viceroys, who is ruling the national capital.

“Delhi’s misfortune has been that it has always been a city ruled by Kings and their representatives instead of the people who reside in it…the people of Delhi have half the rights that other Indian citizens have.They have the right to choose who rules at the Center but no right to choose who governs their city,” Kejriwal argued.

AAP’s national convener said that the time had come for the people of Delhi to ‘fight for their freedom’ and implement the ‘people’s rule’ in Delhi, and ‘throw away L-G’s rule’.

Invoking Lokmanya Tilak, Kejriwal said, “Swaraj mera Janam sidh adikar hai …we will implement swaraj in Delhi as L-G is only accountable to the Prime Minister, and not the people of Delhi.”

He argued that it was in 1992 that the Centre had instituted elections in Delhi similar to the British having done so in 1935, despite which, however, the power to govern continued to remain with the ‘viceroys’ especially in terms of finances.

“The Centre had made a bad joke with Delhi in 1992. I want to ask why Delhiites are treated as second class citizens. Why are we half citizens? Why the cost of Delhiites’ vote is zero?” he said.

Kejriwal said that in Delhi,L-G Anil Baijal doesn’t allow the government to work, adding that “King L-G” creates hurdles in the government’s work.

Earlier, AAP went to the Supreme Court when in 2016, the Delhi High Court ruled that Delhi, as a union territory, is mainly under the Lieutenant Governor and he is the administrative head of Delhi.

Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP and Congress are considering an alliance in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab for the polls next year. While to stress on the issue of full statehood he is going to hold meetings at 300 locations across Delhi.

(PHOTO INPUT:- TWITTER/AAM AADMI PARTY)