Ready to back any party except BJP that supports full statehood for Delhi: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said post-elections they would be ready to back any party, except the BJP, that supports full statehood for the national capital.

The AAP national convenor, in an interview to PTI, said their only aim is to stop the Modi-Shah duo from coming back to power and for that they will support any party.

"We will support those who grant full statehood to Delhi. Our only aim is to stop the Modi-Shah duo from coming back to power. We have absolutely no problem with whoever comes at the Centre," Kejriwal said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made the demand of full statehood for Delhi its poll plank. The party says that a slew of issues, including expansion of health and education infrastructure, remains unresolved as it does not lie in the hands of the Delhi government.

Kejriwal claimed that people are "extremely happy" with the work of the AAP in Delhi, especially in the fields of education, health, water, electricity, road, sewage.

"But the people of Delhi are also seeing how hurdles are being created in the work of the Delhi government because it is not a full state. People this time will vote to remove those hurdles from the path of the Delhi government," he said.

The chief minister said once the demand of full statehood is realised, it would help in fast-tracking development works in the national capital.

If Delhi gets full statehood, the city government would be able to deliver thousand times more than what it has done till now, he claimed.

Kejriwal alleged that the BJP MPs are not "loyal" to the people of Delhi.

"People in Delhi should think that if all the seven candidates of the BJP win then they will not be loyal to the people of the national capital. If tomorrow, metro fare rises your BJP MPs cannot raise their voices, they cannot raise their voice against sealing. AAP is Delhi's party so if something happens to the people of Delhi then AAP will raise voice for the rights of people in Parliament," he said.

Kejriwal said the voice against the Centre's "wrong" policies could be raised only when Delhi MPs are from a different party than those in power in the Centre.

People of Delhi would benefit more by electing AAP candidates as they can raise issues faced by city residents in Parliament more effectively than the national parties like the BJP and the Congress, he said.

The chief minister claimed there is a "very strong" anti-incumbency against the BJP in Delhi as its MPs did nothing for the people here.

The BJP had won all the Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2014 general elections.

Giving individual examples, Kejriwal said there is a lot of "negativity" against incumbent BJP MP from New Delhi Meenakshi Lekhi, who, he claimed has done nothing for the constituency.

"She insulted the people of her constituency so people want to defeat her," he said.

About Delhi BJP chief and its North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, Kejriwal said, "He has done nothing except dancing and singing in the last four years."