Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, promised full statehood to Delhi, if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) comes to power in the Lok Sabha elections.
On the 21st of February, Mr. Kejriwal, the President of the AAP, addressed a public rally in Delhi and said, “Ten years from the day Delhi is given the status of full statehood, I will give every Delhiite a concrete house to live in. This time do not vote to elect the Prime Minister. Vote to get full statehood for Delhi.” He further said, if the AAP secures all the 7 Lok Sabha seats, he will ensure Delhi gets full statehood within 2 years.
Mr. Kejriwal also criticised the Indian National Congress (INC,) which is not willing to form an alliance with the AAP. He said, despite multiple attempts by the AAP, the INC is not responding positively towards forming an alliance with the former, against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP.)
Mr. Kejriwal said, “Across India, votes against the BJP should not be divided at any cost. Even in Delhi, there should only be one candidate against the BJP. We have got tired of repeatedly telling the Congress that there should be an alliance between them and the AAP. But, the intentions of the Congress do not appear to be good (sic.)”
However, Sheila Dikshit, the President of the Delhi INC, rubbished all the allegations and said, the AAP never approached the INC to forge an alliance. She also stated, the members of the AAP are frustrated and Arvind Kejriwal does not know what he is speaking.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also criticised the AAP for trying to form an alliance with the INC. Manoj Tiwari, the BJP chief of Delhi, said, “Kejriwal is the king of U Turns and Congress the mother of corruption. The people of Delhi very well understand it. They will give a fitting reply.”
Mr. Kejriwal kick started his campaign for the Lok Sabha elections with the inauguration of a project in Delhi. As a part of one such development project, at least 181 lanes of 9.30 km will be constructed in some of the unauthorised colonies of the Gandhi Nagar Assembly constituency. Approximately 1 lakh citizens of Delhi will benefit from this project.
The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled between April and May 2019. The major parties contesting are the INC and the BJP.
Stay tuned for further updates about the Lok Sabha Elections.
