Arvind Kejriwal again targets Centre, BJP on issue of statehood to Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday criticised the intentions of the BJP and the Centre on the issue of granting statehood to Delhi.

"BJP's opposition to the statehood for Delhi now is its confession that Modi lied to the people of Delhi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. People of Delhi will respond to lies and decades of deceit appropriately now," Arvind Kejriwal said.

Criticising the Centre for giving a lame excuse that Delhi cannot be granted statehood since it is the capital of India, the Chief Minister said: "Such excuses will not work as people of Delhi are ready to give complete control of the entire New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area to the Central government and the rest of Delhi from where the government is elected cannot be subservient to the Centre."

Kejriwal further said that his decision to go on an indefinite hunger strike from March 1 was taken as a last and final resort since all other possible efforts to persuade the Modi government to allow the elected Delhi government to function without unjustified interference and stop creating obstacles in its path had miserably failed.

"During last four years the Modi government deliberately passed orders to snatch all the powers of the elected Delhi government and this treachery will now be placed before the court of the people, which is supreme in a democracy," the Chief Minister said.

"The Central government created hurdles in all major decisions of public welfare being taken by the Delhi government. From the installation of CCTVs for residents safety to the construction of schools, hospitals, mohalla clinics etc., hurdles were created in the implementation of each and every decision at every step. We tried everything from fervent appeals to dharnas and even knocked at the doors of courts," Kejriwal said. Continuing his tirade against the BJP, Kejriwal said: "The BJP today stands completely exposed on the major issue of providing statehood to the people of Delhi since the BJP has suddenly taken a U-turn on its decades-old stand of promising statehood for Delhi."

Reminding the BJP of its commitment on statehood for Delhi, Kejriwal said: "During the tenure of the late Atal Behari Vajpayee government at the Centre, it was LK Advani who had introduced the Delhi Statehood Bill in the Lok Sabha."

"LK Advani, as Home Minister of India, in August 2003 had introduced statehood for Delhi Bill in Lok Sabha. Congress stalwart Pranab Mukherjee headed the parliamentary committee of Home Affairs and had endorsed this bill in December 2003, but it was allowed to lapse. Did they intend to just play with the emotions of people of Delhi? Why this injustice with Delhiites?" the Chief Minister said.