85% jobs for locals if Delhi becomes full state: Arvind Kejriwal

The chief minister demanded full statehood, saying Delhiites pays the second highest amount in the country to the Centre in taxes and yet its share of returns received from the Centre is just R 325 crore.

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener, Arvind Kejriwal, on Monday announced that residents of Delhi would get 85% reservations in jobs in the Capital if it gets the status of a full state.

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener, Arvind Kejriwal, on Monday announced that residents of Delhi would get 85% reservations in jobs in the Capital if it gets the status of a full state. (Photo by Sushil Kumar/ Hindustan Times) (Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Speaking at separate rallies in Malviya Nagar and Burari, the AAP chief pushed for full statehood to Delhi while promising employment and housing for all city residents. “The day Delhi becomes a full state, 85% of all jobs in Delhi will be reserved for Delhiites. I also promise that two lakh new jobs will open up within 48 hours of Delhi becoming a full state. Thirdly, all contractual employees will be regularised,” Kejriwal said in his speech at Malviya Nagar.

He also repeated his promise to give every family in Delhi a house in 10 years. “The day Delhi gets full statehood, I promise 10 years from then, every family that is a voter from the national Capital will have a house to live in,” the AAP chief said.

The AAP has made full statehood one of its main poll planks for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, after the Supreme Court in February delivered a split verdict on the issue of control over services (department dealing with transfers and postings of officers) in the Delhi government versus Centre case and referred the matter to a larger bench.

The chief minister demanded full statehood, saying Delhiites pays the second highest amount in the country to the Centre in taxes and yet its share of returns received from the Centre is just R 325 crore. “For every project why should Delhi government seek permission from the Centre? What is the point of winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats if the elected government has no power? In 70 years, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, and Goa became full states, but Delhi is still stuck. What wrong have Delhiites done to face this partiality?” Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from East Delhi constituency, Atishi, inducted nine leaders from parties such as Janata Dal and Congress in its fold on Monday. These included Zia-ul-Haq, a former scientist in ISRO, Gulam Rabbani of the Janata Dal, and a former Congress leader.