AAP will campaign for BJP in Lok Sabha polls if Delhi granted statehood: Kejriwal

In a rhetorical speech in the Delhi assembly, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today announced that the AAP would campaign for the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha election if Delhi was granted full statehood.

He also warned that if the Modi government failed to do so, the party would conduct a "BJP, quit Delhi" campaign.

"I want to say to BJP, give full statehood status to Delhi before Lok Sabha polls, every vote of people will go in favour of BJP and we (AAP) will campaign for them in Lok Sabha election," Kejriwal said in the assembly.

"But, if they (BJP) do not give full statehood to Delhi, people here will say that BJP walon, Delhi chodo (BJP, quit Delhi)," he added.

Speaking on the government's resolution that seeks full statehood status for Delhi that was adopted in the assembly, Kejriwal sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether his promise to give full statehood to Delhi during the 2014 Lok Sabha election was just a "jumla" (election rhetoric).

"We will have to fight for development of Delhi, our children's future... I want to ask Modi ji that he had promised full statehood status to Delhiites during the last Lok Sabha election. I want to ask him whether it was 'jumla'," he said.

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in 2019. Ahead of polls, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has decided to strongly raise the issue of full statehood among people in Delhi.

Under its campaign, AAP has given workers a slogan - "LG, quit Delhi"
Invoking Bal Gangahar Tilak, Kejriwal said, "Swaraj mera Janam sidh adikar hai (Swaraj is my birthright)...we will implement swaraj in Delhi as L-G is only accountable to the prime minister, and not the people of Delhi."