AAP reaches out to the Modi govt

Kejriwal meets Rajnath & Venkaiah, seeking support for statehood status to Delhi and land for development projects; PM Modi, Union ministers invited for oath-taking ceremony

A day after the Delhi Assembly elections victory, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal reached out to key ministers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, seeking support for statehood status to Delhi and land for various development projects.

“I met (Union development minister) Venkaiah Naidu and (Union home minister) Rajnath Singh — the two most important ministers for the Delhi government. I explained to both of them that full statehood for Delhi was necessary to meet people’s expectations. We want a constructive and healthy relationship with the Centre,” Kejriwal said, in a series of tweets on Wednesday. The AAP chief, accompanied by senior leader Manish Sisodia, invited both ministers for his oath-taking ceremony on Saturday.

Kejriwal is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and is likely to discuss the issues of statehood and land with him. “The meeting is scheduled at the Prime Minister’s Office at 10.30 am. The party will also send an invitation to him for the oath-taking ceremony,” said a party source.

“We discussed four key issues on which we will require the minister’s assistance. He assured us of full co-operation, irrespective of political differences,” Sisodia told reporters after meeting Naidu.

“We want to build schools, colleges, hospitals and parking lots and for that, we would require large parcels of land from DDA (Delhi Development Authority). In future, we will also need Centre’s help on the full statehood issue,” Sisodia added.

Land acquisition and compensation for the poor in rural areas was another issue, Sisodia pointed out. “Also the central government passed a resolution on unauthorised colonies and we need to carry it forward with the co-operation from agencies such as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and DDA,” said Sisodia.

“I assured him that the Centre is willing to cooperate with the state and contribute to overall interest of the people and development but the cooperation will depend on your operation. As the PM has given us guidance that we have to work as a team, we will help them as per the norms. There is no question of any political consideration whatsoever,” Naidu told reporters.

AAP’s promise of full statehood can only be fulfilled through an amendment to the Constitution in an Act of Parliament and hence, would be required to be passed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The AAP had also promised building 500 new schools and 20 new colleges, which would require the Centre’s support. Both the DDA and MCD are governed by the Centre, hence, the AAP’s promise of restructuring both the bodies could be fulfilled only with the help of the Centre.