Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday attacked the BJP and said there is no hope from the saffron party and the only hope for people of Delhi is AAP.
Kejriwal also accused the BJP of trying to cover up its corruption in the three municipal corporations by projecting the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the civic polls, and asserted the strategy would not work.
"BJP is trying to cover up its corruption in Delhi municipal corporations by projecting PM Narendra Modi's name ahead of civic polls," the Delhi CM said.
Citing poor sanitation in the national capital which is leading to a rise in vector-borne diseases such as dengue, he said there is no hope from the BJP and that the only hope for the people of Delhi is his Aam Aadmi Party.
"The hope of the BJP is only Narendra Modi through which the party wants to cover up its corruption and the poor sanitation condition.
"How will Modi-ji improve the situation in MCD. Work in the MCD will not be undertaken by Narendra Modi, but local BJP leaders Vijendra Gupta and others," Kejriwal told PTI in an interview.
He also accused the BJP of "completely destroying" the MCD during its 10-year rule.
"For Delhi people, the BJP is the party of Dengue and chikungunya," he also added.
He said: "If the people of Delhi voted for BJP in the MCD elections, they will be responsible for any case of Dengue in your house."
The elections to all the 272 wards of the three civic bodies where the BJP, Congress and the AAP are locked in a triangular battle will be held on Sunday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kejriwal released the AAP's manifesto, promising to make Delhi free of vector-borne diseases, clear garbage and put an end to corruption in the three civic bodies.
The chief minister promised to make Delhi free of vector-borne diseases in the next three years, shut all landfills by 2019 and make the city spick and span within a year.
Several services rendered by the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) will be made available online to reduce corruption and a common redressal helpline number will also be launched, Kejriwal said.
Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal should resign after Rajouri Garden bypoll defeat: Delhi BJP
He also promised to provide free treatment and medicines in the MCD-run health care facilities and improve its quality.
In the education sector, he announced that the quality of teaching would be enhanced and nursery and KG classes in MCD-run schools would be started.
Some of the announcements made today for MCD polls mirror the AAP's promises made during the Delhi Assembly polls.
The party is leaving no stone unturned to woo different sections of the society -- from sanitation workers to traders, a strategy which had worked well for the party in the Assembly polls.
The MCD polls will be a litmus test for the AAP in Delhi, following the party's poor show in Goa and Punjab Assembly polls and its defeat in the recent Rajouri Garden Assembly bypoll, where the party candidate could not save his deposit.
Berating the BJP-led MCDs for its "10 years of misrule", Kejriwal said the party which cannot take care of the city's garbage is "incapable" of ruling the national capital.
"These BJP people have even backstabbed their own Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) despite his call for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Also Read: Woman Congress worker accuses Ajay Maken of harassment, joins AAP
"Solving problems of Delhi is not their cup of tea. We will fix all these issues. The Delhi government has put an end to water, education, health mafia. We will replicate that by dealing a heavy blow to mafias operating in the MCDs," he said.
To woo nearly 90,000 sanitation workers, the party has assured that they will get their salaries by seventh of every month, while the contractual labourers would be regularised.
He also assured to give protective gears for sanitation workers along with a health insurance scheme and Rs 50,000 fixed deposit for their daughters.
To end parking woes in the city, Kejriwal said the issue will be addressed through the surface, multi-level and underground parking facilities.
Kejriwal said steps would be taken to tackle the menace of stray dogs and monkeys.
The party had earlier announced the abolition of house tax, a promise the AAP feels will be an important agenda in the civic polls.
On that lines, the party will straighten rules so that people can make minor changes in their residence without approaching the MCD officials. Those who have already made such amendments will be regularised under a scheme.
Kejriwal said that voting for the Congress in the MCD polls would be "waste of votes" after former Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the BJP.
The election to East, North and South Municipal Corporations will be held on April 23. Among the major contenders, the AAP is the last to release its manifesto.
(With inputs from PTI)
/newsnation-english/media/agency_attachments/2024-07-23t155806234z-logo-webp.webp){kind=logo}
Follow Us/newsnation-english/media/post_attachments/images/2017/04/21/541089885-Kejriwal.jpg)