Harsh Vardhan promises full statehood for Delhi

He said Sheila's slogan "starts with metro and ends with flyovers"

BJP's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan today promised that Delhi will be granted "full statehood" if his party comes to power in the city as well as at the Centre, noting that it will help ensure proper coordination between various agencies.

"Once we come to power and once Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister of India, of which we are confident, we will work towards getting statehood for Delhi," he said and alleged that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit never tried to get "full-statehood" for Delhi despite being at the helm for last 15 years.

Taking on Dikshit on her claims of bringing development to the city, Vardhan said her slogan "starts with metro and ends with flyovers" and accused her of taking credit for projects started during BJP rule.

"There are multiple authorities and lack of coordination between all these agencies leads to the harassment of common public. Delhi needs statehood so that land and police come under it and all development programmes and policies could be implemented properly," Vardhan said in an interaction at Indian Women Press Corps.

He said that a bill to grant statehood to Delhi was tabled in Parliament during the NDA regime but it was referred to a Parliamentary Committee following reservations by Congress.

He said after the NDA was out of power, the Bill "was never again taken up in Parliament".

Accusing Dikshit of doing nothing to improve the lives of people, Vardhan said BJP will make Delhi a better city if it comes to power.

"I want to return Delhi back to Delhiiites. Delhi has lost a lot in the last 15 years. Delhi was known for its values, art, culture and greatness on so many other fronts. But it has become 'inhumanistic' now and things have become mechanical," he said.

Vardhan said Dikshit was "extremely fortunate" to have got people's support to serve Delhi for three successive terms but she could not "deliver".

"Dikshit has probably taken the things a little casually," he added.

"She failed on every front. There has been acute shortage of para-medical staff, essential drugs at hospitals, power and water scarcity, inflation, scams, corruption. Thousands of posts for teachers are lying vacant in schools," he said.

He said because of lack of job opportunities, youths of Delhi have to work in Gurgaon and Greater Noida.

"The poor are still living in unhygienic and hellish conditions in JJ clusters and unauthorised colonies," he said.