E-Paper
We changed narrative of politics in Delhi: Kejriwal
New Delhi:
New Delhi:
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in its seven years of existence, had changed the narrative of politics in such a way that elections in the national Capital are now fought on ‘development’ instead of caste or religion.
Kejriwal, who is also AAP’s national convener, was addressing workers and volunteers of his party on its seventh foundation day celebrations. The party was founded on November 26, 2012.
“AAP has influenced three major changes in politics in its seven-year journey. Our party has proven that power can be exercised with honesty. Secondly, the AAP has proven that change is possible. Our party has shown that transformation in education, health, water and electricity is possible, but other parties haven’t worked towards it for 70 years. The third change is that now, in Delhi, politics of work has replaced politics of religion or caste,” he said.
As a result, he said, the BJP is not able to do “Hindu-Muslim”, “Marathi-non-Marathi” and “Jaat-non Jaat” politics in the national capital, but is forced to talk on issues of unauthorised colonies, electricity and education, he said.
Kejriwal urged all volunteers to visit every household in Delhi and engage in discussions over “chai” (tea) about different schemes launched by the AAP government.
With assembly elections scheduled in Delhi early next year, AAP launched a fresh volunteer mobilisation and fund collection campaign – ‘Kejriwal Phir Se’.
Kejriwal launched a mobile number -- 9509997997 -- on which people can give missed calls to associate themselves with AAP’s campaign for the upcoming assembly elections. The CM also launched the campaign website, www.KejriwalPhirSe.in.
“The Kejriwal Phir Se campaign does not refer to me, it means 24-hour electricity again,world-class government schools again, free travel for women again, good-Samaritan scheme again, free medicines and mohalla clinics again, free pilgrimage for senior citizens again. It means respect for the elderly again, control of dengue-pollution again. It means the bandwagon of development in Delhi should not be stopped, it has to be taken forward and accelerated,” the AAP national convener said.
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said volunteers should not get overconfident and continue working tirelessly to ensure AAP’s win. “Not the people of Delhi, but they (the BJP) will try to create more controversies and will scheme against us to mislead people. We have to be alert and put in extra hard work for the elections and garner people’s support,” he said.
The BJP in its response said had the party not been concerned about development, then the eastern and western peripheral expressways won’t have been built in record time by the BJP-ruled central government.
“The expressways have helped not just in decongesting Delhi but also reduced vehicular pollution to a great extent. It is the AAP government which has failed to fulfil its promise. Delhi needs 11,000 buses. Where are the buses? They do not even have half the sanctioned requirement,” said an official from Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari’s office.
