If sincere, let BJP begin registries, says Kejriwal

He refrained from listing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the possibility of a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), despite Delhi witnessing widespread protests against them in the past 10 days.

Within an hour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a gathering in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged the Centre to organise a meeting of all chief ministers and political parties to discuss issues such as unemployment and inflation. He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of“cheating” people on the issue of ownership rights for residents of unauthorised colonies.

Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi along with Health Minister, Satyendra Jain during the inauguration of Free Wifi Service in Delhi, at ITO in New Delhi(Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

“Let’s concentrate on jobs, inflation and economy please. People are in distress. They need urgent measures. I urge Centre to call a meeting of all CMs and all parties, take everyone in confidence and find urgent solutions,” said Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

He refrained from listing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the possibility of a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), despite Delhi witnessing widespread protests against them in the past 10 days.

On Sunday, Modi said in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan that the CAA does not affect Muslims in India. He also said that the widespread protests across the country are a result of Opposition parties fuelling hatred and misguiding people.

Kejriwal had earlier questioned the “logic” of the law, and raised concerns over rehabilitation and employment of migrants when the country itself was witnessing an economic slowdown.

UNAUTHORISED COLONIES

While addressing the public in Sunday’s event, which was organised by the BJP for residents of unauthorised colonies thanking Modi for passing a law that offers them property ownership and transfer rights, Modi said that the initiative took time because the Delhi government delayed the mapping process.

So far, the Kejriwal government maintained that the BJP’s claim of working for the welfare of the residents of unauthorised colonies does not hold value as the registration process had not begun and people were yet to get certificates.

Reacting to Modi’s allegation, Kejriwal said, “What happened to the registry? Are people in unauthorised colonies being misled again? People were hopeful that the registry would happen today. But they have been cheated again. First, the Congress made false promises. And now, the BJP too.”

Registry is a legal document which acts as a proof of ownership rights.

Kejriwal further said, “But people should not worry. We have done a lot of work in unauthorised colonies. We will get their registry done too.”

The mapping exercise is now being done by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is being monitored by the union ministry for housing and urban affairs.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal addressed two public gatherings in north-east Delhi’s Sonia Vihar and Sriram Colony ward, where he highlighted his government’s contribution in development works in unauthorised colonies.

DELHI’S WATER

On Sunday, Modi also raised concerns over the quality of piped water in Delhi and accused the AAP of failing to provide safe water. His comments came around a month after a report of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had red-flagged the quality of Delhi’s piped water.

In response to this, Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said, “If the Prime Minister has received poor quality water in his residence or office, he may lodge a complaint. We assure him that we will look into it at the earliest.”

Sisodia said, “ When we came to power, around 53% of households in Delhi had access to water. The number has now increased to 98%. When we receive complaints, we work towards fixing it at the earliest.”

“But it is interesting to see that the Prime Minister did not talk about Delhi’s education sector, healthcare sector, CCTVs and economy. Apparently, he is admitting that Delhi is doing good in the field of governance,” said Sisodia.