In R-Day address, Kejriwal raises trade with China and tussle with LG

Addressing a gathering on the eve of Republic Day at Chhatrasal Stadium, Kejriwal said over the last few years, China has been occupying Indian territory even as the trade with Beijing has gone up.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday reiterated his call to boycott Chinese goods citing tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and asserted that governments must stand by the soldiers to send a clear message that no compromise can be made on the sovereignty of the nation.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal takes salute during the state government’ Republic Day celebration at Chhatrasal Stadium on Wednesday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Addressing a gathering on the eve of Republic Day at Chhatrasal Stadium, Kejriwal said, “Our soldiers put in all their might to fight the Chinese aggression on the border, and it is now the duty of all citizens and all the governments to stand shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and support them. It is our duty to boycott China and make it clear that we will not compromise on national security.”

He added that, over the last few years, China has been occupying Indian territory even as the trade with Beijing has gone up from 65 billion dollars in 2020 to 95 billion dollars in 2021.

In December, Kejriwal had called for a ban on trade with China in the backdrop of Chinese troops attempting to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunchal Pradesh’s Yangste, a move that was thwarted by Indian soldiers.

No immediate reaction was available on Kejriwal’s assertions from the Union government.

In the 30-minute speech, the Delhi chief minister also raised the issue of friction between the elected governments and the Centre-appointed lieutenant governors (LGs). Comparing the alleged interference by the LGs in state government’s affairs to a “dark shadow” on democracy, Kejriwal said, “The whole country needs to think about how to deal with it.”

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal raised the issue of interference by centre-appointed lieutenant governors and governors in state government’s affairs. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

The AAP government in Delhi and the LG are engaged in a tussle over who controls the bureaucracy and the limits of the executive powers wielded by the Raj Niwas occupant.

Without taking names, Kejriwal said that there is one state where the elected government passes legislations but the governor refuses to sign them. “Can one man, who does not have the public’s backing behind him, stop the legislation passed by the people’s government? There is another state where the government wanted to call the assembly session but the governor refused to sign that file. You cannot let one man hold the democracy hostage,” he said.

Talking about the various steps taken by his government for public welfare, Kejriwal said that Delhi has the lowest rate of inflation in the country. He appealed to the Centre to remove Goods and Services Tax (GST) on eatables such as milk, curd, wheat, etc. He also urged the Union government to make it easier for traders to pay their taxes. He added that Delhi will soon become the start-up capital of the country with more than 5,000 start-ups coming up over the last year. He added that Delhi has also become the electric vehicles (EV) capital with the maximum number of EVs being sold in the capital across the country.

Kejriwal said that the Delhi government spends nearly one quarter of its total Budget on education -- the highest outlay by any state government. “The number of admissions in government schools has increased from 14.5 lakh to 18 lakh. The pass percentage has gone up from 80% to 99.7% -- 6% more than private schools. Delhi is also the health capital of the world with three doctors per 1,000 people which is more than Japan, Canada, England and other countries which have less than 2.5 doctors per 1000 people,” he added.

The programme began with rendition of the national song, Vande Mataram. The chief minister hoisted the national flag as the stadium erupted with cheers of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.

He also saluted the march past by contingents from the Delhi Police, Home Guards, Fire Service, NCC cadets, and children from Delhi government schools. Bands from the Delhi Police, Civil Defence, Home Guards, NCC also took part in the event

The Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at Kejriwal after his speech. Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said that it was regrettable that the CM chose to misuse a formal Republic Day function to criticise the central government.

“For the last eight years, Arvind Kejriwal has been involved in a tussle with the office of the Delhi LG, and by adversely commenting on LG’s role from the dais of Republic Day function the CM has shown that he is an anarchist. It is saddening to note that Kejriwal who today commented on China’s aggression in border areas, and on India-China trade, has never said a word of encouragement for the army personnel.”