What is your official stand on granting full statehood to Delhi: AAP asks BJP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Thursday asked the BJP about its official stand on granting full statehood to Delhi, saying its leaders are giving conflicting statements on the matter.

AAP leader Gopal Rai said the BJP is "rattled by the AAP's movement towards attaining full statehood" and are giving conflicting statements because of that.

Rai quoted a media report in which Union Minister Vijay Goel allegedly said that the BJP is in favour of full statehood but it is not possible if the city has a Chief Minister like Arvind Kejriwal.

He also referred to another media report in which Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari allegedly said that full statehood would not be part of BJP's manifesto.

"What is BJP's official stand on granting full statehood to Delhi. We want an answer on that. On one hand, Tiwari says it will not be granted to Delhi while Goel says full statehood would not be given as long as Kejriwal is the chief minister," Rai said.

On being asked why is the AAP targeting only the BJP on the issue and not Congress which also formed the government several times in Delhi, Rai said it is because the BJP has formed the government at the Centre.

"It (BJP) has also won all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi and still it is not fulfilling its promise of granting full statehood to the national capital while the Congress government was removed by the people when it did not fulfil this promise," Rai said.

Rai said the AAP is going full throttle on the issue and the movement towards it started on Wednesday when AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal burnt the 2014 manifesto of the BJP in which they promised full statehood to Delhi.

"Now, the MLAs will burn BJP manifestos in their respective constituencies on March 15 (Friday) and ward in-charges will do the same on March 17 (Sunday)," he said.

On Wednesday, Kejriwal had said that the upcoming polls will be fought on the issue of full statehood. He had criticised Modi for not fulfilling this promise as mentioned in BJP's 2014 manifesto.

"It amounts to cheating. They (the BJP) should come clean," Kejriwal had said.

The chief minister had said once Delhi attains full statehood, AAP will ensure that women roam freely even at night and the party will also give 85 per cent reservations to local people in jobs and colleges.

Kejriwal also referred to the sealing of shops earlier this year and said the party would have halted the process within five minutes.