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Delhi’s sealing drive gives political parties a poll plank ahead of 2019 elections
A political slugfest has already begun to win the support of the trading community—a substantial portion of Delhi’s electorate and considered a traditional vote bank of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As sealing continues a year after it began, political parties say it is going to be a key issue in Delhi in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections 2019.
A political slugfest has already begun to win the support of the trading community—a substantial portion of Delhi’s electorate and considered a traditional vote bank of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
All three major political parties in the city — the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP and the Congress — have pledged their support to the traders in a bid to win them over.
Over 6,500 commercial units were sealed by the BJP-ruled municipal corporations on the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee’s orders. And both AAP and Congress are trying hard to use this factor to dent BJP’s core vote bank.
Training their guns at the Modi government, the parties say the Centre’s decisions such demonetisation and GST adversely affected traders.
“Demonetisation, GST and now sealing. Business has suffered a lot and traders have been at the receiving end of the government’s anti-trader policies. These are going to be key issues in the general elections,” said Brijesh Goyal, member of AAP’s trade wing and in-charge of the party’s New Delhi parliamentary constituency.
The two parties have upped their ante, holding protest marches and meetings with traders, highlighting the BJP’s alleged “failure” to provide relief despite being in power at the Centre and the three municipal corporations.
To keep its vote bank intact, the BJP has planned a special campaign from December 22 to reach out to traders and highlight measures taken by its government to give them relief.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said the central government promptly amended the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 (MPD-2021).
The Congress recently completed the first phase of its ‘Nyay Yudh’, a campaign which it launched in September against the sealing drive, and blamed BJP and AAP for it.
Senior AAP leaders have been holding meetings with traders in various markets. The party has joined the chorus for an ordinance, a demand raised by the trading community too, to stop the sealing drive and provide relief to lakhs of traders.
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With the sealing matter listed for hearing in the top court in February next year, traders have demanded immediate relief.
The present situation, BJP members admit, has become a cause of concern for the party. The party is now blaming the AAP government for it. “It is a serious issue and our government is doing everything to provide relief to traders. We were prompt in amending the MPD. I have openly opposed the ‘pick and choose’ policy of the monitoring committee. Traders know BJP is with them, as I was ready to go to jail for them,” said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.
Tiwari, North East Delhi MP, broke the lock of a house sealed by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation in Gokulpur in September. An FIR was registered against him. While the top court closed the case against Tiwari, Justice Madan B Lokur, who retired on December 15, said in his order, “It is a misplaced bravado, including chest thumping and a misplaced political agenda.”
Kejriwal had hit out at the BJP for indulging in “stunts and theatrics”. “If BJP is done with its stunts and theatrics, the people of Delhi urge BJP to immediately bring an ordinance now to maintain status quo, provide relief to lakhs of people and save their jobs,” (sic) the CM had recently tweeted.
The BJP, on the other hand, blames the AAP government for the creating a situation in Delhi by “delaying the notification of 351 roads for commercial use”, which led to the present situation.
Vijender Gupta, leader of the opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said, “How can they (AAP) blame us for sealing? The AAP government should explain to people why they have failed to notify 351 roads for commercial use till today. BJP had done everything to provide relief.”
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken says the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was unable to convince the top court about the “plight of people” and properly interpret various provisions of the Master Plan of Delhi2021.
“The provisions of MPD-2021, sealing and demolition can’t happen in special areas (Walled City, Karol Bagh and Sadar Paharganj). But sealing drive was carried out in Karol Bagh,” said Maken, who was the urban development minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government during the 2006 sealing drive.
The UPA government had then enacted the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act in 2007 and notified the new MPD-2021 to stop sealing in the city.
Hitting out at BJP and AAP, Maken said, “The BJP should have presented the matter properly before the top court. As for Delhi government, what is stopping them from approaching the court for this issue which affects people of Delhi? They hire the best lawyers for their own cases. Why can’t they hire good lawyers to present their side in the court?”
