AAP promises dengue-free Delhi, abolition of house tax in manifesto

Kejriwal pledged to make Delhi a clean city, abolish house tax and end corruption

The AAP on Wednesday pledged to make Delhi a clean city, abolish house tax and end corruption if it took control of the city's civic body in Sunday's election.

"It is a very important election. Delhi has been turned into a garbage dump by the BJP which controlled MCD for the last 10 years," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, referring to the municipal corporation.

"We will make Delhi clean within a year if we come to power," he said while releasing an eight-page Aam Aadmi Party manifesto.

Delhi will vote on Sunday to elect a new South Delhi, an East Delhi and a North Delhi Municipal Corporation. All three bodies were earlier one single entity: Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Kejriwal promised to use the best technology to clean up Delhi.

Citing the manifesto, the AAP leader said more sanitation employees would be recruited and those on contract would get regular job.

He reiterated his promise to abolish residential house tax and waive off all arrears in Delhi.

He said Delhi would become free of dengue and chikungunya in three years. The civic body would start the process of "desilting nullahs" in the city within a year of its victory.

He flayed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for failing to provide a clean Delhi, saying it had backstabbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi by not implementing his Swachh Bharat scheme.

"It is the obligatory function of the municipal corporations to take preventive steps to stop the spread of vector borne diseases in which the BJP completely failed."

He dubbed the municipal corporation the most corrupt in Delhi and vowed to end all corruption.

"MCD is the most corrupt body in the city. People have to pay bribes to get their work done. We will make the MCD corruption free within one year and make it a profitable body."

The results of the civic body elections will be known on April 26.