assembly-elections

Updated: Feb 06, 2020 10:57 IST

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke to Sweta Goswami and Abhishek Dey about his party’s election manifesto, polarisation of the campaign, the Shaheen Bagh protests, plans to smoothen coordination with the Centre, and his key areas of focus if voted back to power. Edited excerpts:

Your government was quick in implementing water and power subsidies when you formed the government in 2015. What will be your first priority if you get elected again?

We have to clean Delhi and make it pollution-free. Ensuring a 24-hour supply of clean water will also be on our agenda.

But the municipalities have a major role to play in cleaning…

Yes, a lot falls under the MCDs. We have made plans. The MCD elections in Delhi will be held after two-and-a-half years and we hope to win this time. Till the MCD elections, we will take certain steps; after the civic polls, we’ll do more.

I would include cleaning the Yamuna in this as well, which is directly under us. We have already started the project to clean the four big drains leading to the river by installing STPs (sewage treatment plants). We will expedite this project.

For the vacuum-cleaning of roads, we’re exploring a scheme in which the Delhi government will give funds to the MCDs specifically for scaling up cleanliness across the city.

In your guarantee card, you have promised to improve flagship programmes on health and education, and continue the power and water subsidies. How can you scale up these projects?

Health care and education are very vast sectors. We have said that it is our responsibility and guarantee that every child in Delhi will get good education. This includes primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, coaching, vocational and skill training, sport, everything.

In health care, we have a four-tier structure – mohalla clinics, polyclinics, multi-specialty hospitals and super-specialty hospitals. We have a scheme where if you are not treated in a Delhi government hospital within 30 days, we ensure you get treated in private hospitals. We’re also providing free medicines.

Now we’re thinking of a common phone number where people who need medical help will be guided about which scheme suits them best, and how to avail it. Through the helpline, they can find out about the availability of hospital beds, ventilators, and so on. It will be a single-window system in health services.

At the HT Leadership Summit, you said that when the BJP fights elections in other states, it fights on caste and religion; but when it comes to Delhi, it talks about unauthorised colonies and water because of the work done by your government. So, did you expect the election campaign to become so polarised?

I never expected that the BJP would stoop so low. The kinds of things being said -- they do not have any control over their words. They are left with absolutely no issue in this election. They’re not able to pick holes in any of our work. They brought a video about school buildings, it turned out to be fake. The next day, they brought a video on mohalla clinics, that also turned out to be fake. The more they are abusing schools and mohalla clinics, the more the people are going against them. They are not left with any issue other than Hindu-Muslim; they are trying to divert people’s attention.

Are you concerned that this issue may take over and put in the background the debate over development?

I don’t think that should happen.

I saw on a TV channel that a man who claimed to be a hard-core BJP supporter said that he would vote for Kejriwal this time. He said his father was in Jana Sangh, and had even gone to jail. His family never voted for any party other than the BJP. He said he supported Kejriwal because it is the first time that people are talking about those belonging to the lower ranks of the society. Water, electricity, education and health – the real issues are being addressed.

But the anchor asked about Shaheen Bagh then, and he said the BJP has made it an issue for only 10 days before the elections. After the elections, Shaheen Bagh will be over, and it is Kejriwal who will get the development work done.

The BJP blames you for the Shaheen Bagh protest…

They don’t have any issue other than Shaheen Bagh. The biggest gainer of Shaheen Bagh is the BJP. If we removed Shaheen Bagh from the speeches of BJP leaders, they wouldn’t have anything to talk about.

Twenty-four hours, it is Shaheen Bagh this, Shaheen Bagh that. I say let’s make more schools; they say Shaheen Bagh. I say, let’s build more hospitals; they say Shaheen Bagh. I talk about uninterrupted power supply; they say Shaheen Bagh.

Shaheen Bagh is the issue of one road, which needs to be opened as people are facing a lot of hardship in their daily commute. Why are they (the Centre) not ending the protest? Can a home minister as powerful as Amit Shah not get a road vacated in 10 minutes? But if they open that road, they will have no other issue to talk about; then on what basis will they fight this election?

They (BJP leaders) even call me a traitor. Is providing good education to children treason? Aren’t teaching children and providing health care to people the biggest acts of patriotism? Instead of talking on these issues, they create a false narrative.

One section blames you for encouraging Shaheen Bagh, another asks why does the CM not support them by visiting the protest site. What’s your response on that?

I think your perception is incorrect. I’ve seen media personnel visiting the Shaheen Bagh site and interviewing protesters. People had one demand – Amit Shah should come and talk to us. Nobody took my name.

Secondly, in an election, why should I support anyone against me? The biggest gainers from the Shaheen Bagh protest are the BJP. Why should I support something which helps the BJP? Why should I keep the Shaheen Bagh issue alive for BJP to take benefit out of it? There’s no question of that.

What’s your assessment of the polarisation taking place in the run-up to the polls? Some BJP leaders have targeted you and also led slogans such as ‘shoot the traitors’. Will that affect the result?

People of the country will have to take note of such things. They have to decide whether they opt for the politics of abuse and violence or politics of development. People will have to define what patriotism is for them. Do they see politics of abuse as patriotism, or do they see a patriot in a person who helps the children get quality education?

People have to decide if they see a patriot in a person who provides good health care, who repairs roads, who provides round-the-clock power supply. I still remember the summer of 2014 — power cuts of up to 7-8 hours every day was a common thing. At that point of time, it was unimaginable that Delhi could one day have 24x7 uninterrupted power supply. We worked hard for two-and-a-half years in which we got transformers installed, replaced wires. People have to decide whether that is patriotism or acts such as shooting each other count as patriotism.

They (the BJP) are definitely trying hard to polarise, but the impact is unclear. Only the election results can clear the air.

There are some promises — such as the Jan Lokpal and Swaraj bills, the regularisation of contractual employees, cleaning the Yamuna — which have been repeated in your manifesto. Why did these remain unfulfilled?

We have some issues with the Centre on the Jan Lokpal and Swaraj bills. We will keep pursuing with the Centre; we have not left it.

The Yamuna has two parts – cleaning of the river and development of the riverfront. Cleaning the Yamuna has taken time and it was not a small task that it could be completed in five years. But now the direction in which we are going, I am confident that the river will be cleaned in the next five years.

Riverside development will require the help of the central government. Neither can do this project alone — we will sit and talk to them.

There has been a lot of talk of unauthorised colonies – both in the manifesto and by the BJP. How do you plan to address the issues of people living in them?

Development in unauthorised colonies covers seven parts – roads, lanes, drains, sewers, water, mohalla clinics and CCTV cameras. These come under us, and we have already completed this work in 1,281 of the total 1,797 colonies. Hygiene and cleanliness were the biggest concerns of the residents in these neighbourhoods, which we have addressed. The remaining colonies will be covered soon.

The second aspect is giving registry to the residents of unauthorised colonies. The central government has taken some steps towards this, although because of the election they have overlooked many legal requirements. But I hope they will soon start implementing it after this (election) so that people start getting registry for their properties.

There are some assurances in the manifesto for which you require the Centre’s approval or cooperation. Given your strained relationship with the BJP, how do you propose to fulfil these promises?

I hope that in our second term we find ourselves in a position where we can sit with the Centre and get more work done with their cooperation. They (Centre) have also now understood that our 2015 win was not a one-off, and we are here to stay in Delhi politics. I hope that both governments will work together towards Delhi’s betterment. I believe that it can happen.

Your reforms in government schools and public health care and also free water and power schemes have generated goodwill for the AAP among the working class. But does the affluent class share the same enthusiasm?

Anyone who is benefiting from the scheme – not matter from which class — it has worked for them. For example, some old couples living in Greater Kailash are availing of the free power scheme despite being very affluent and staying in large houses. They are very happy.

In fact, I would directly like to address the affluent class: We did not increase your tax in the last five years; we reduced VAT in Delhi from 12% to 5%; tax, on average, has reduced by 7% on everything; Delhi, according to the CAG, is the only state running in profit despite our policies while the central government is incurring losses and even the Delhi government was running in losses five years ago; we did not take loans from anywhere either.

How did we do all this? We started saving money by removing corruption. So, if I am using that money to give you some relief in terms of subsidised bills, what’s wrong in it? I think everyone should applaud that?

Several voters who are tenants in Delhi complain about not being able to avail of the government’s power subsidy on monthly bills because they do not have separate meters.

Most tenants will vote for us irrespective of that, according to our internal surveys. As far as the power subsidy schemes are concerned, we have said that tenants will no longer have to get no-objection certificates from landlords. We have a help line on which anybody can call and get a meter installed. In many cases, tenants are not allowed to get meters because the per-unit they pay for power consumption is a part of the rent agreement they sign. But we’re working on ways to cover more people under the subsidy scheme.

In the Lok Sabha polls, a large section of the Muslim community voted for the Congress. Will you get a larger share of the Muslim vote this time?

Every individual, irrespective of religion – Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian – needs to get their children educated; needs healthcare; needs good roads; needs water. I have worked for everyone without ever inquiring about an individual’s faith, caste or economic condition. Ours is the first government in 70 years that is seeking votes entirely on the ground of work done on the development front. We have given hope to people.

In 70 years, several parties have ruled different states in India. Have any of them resolved issues pertaining to schools, hospitals, water and electricity? No.

In fact, it looked like there can never be anything right in the government sector. That was cited as the most prominent reason for justifying privatisation. When I was an activist, my argument would always be that any government that fails in governance should resign. We have changed that perception. If one has the right intent, good governance is possible. This gives hope in 21st century India.

When you entered politics, a lot of ideas were theoretical, but there must have been some doubts in your mind if they were achievable, Now that you are in charge of governance, have you managed to do more or less than you expected?

I’m genuinely surprised by what we have done. I was an activist and often restless about things related to the condition of schools, hospitals, ration distribution, etc. We thought it must be a really complicated job since no party could do much in 70 years. After stepping into governance, it looks like it is not rocket science. They (other governments) did not have the intent or the will to change things. They only focused on earning money. People of our country were deliberately forced into remaining poor and uneducated.

If we want, ours can be the most advanced country in the world — people can be educated, government hospitals can improve. But these things were never done. Even now, they (other parties) have no intent to do it. They are still stuck in Hindu-Muslim politics for contesting elections. They should understand that such binaries won’t lead the country towards development; Hindu-Muslim politics won’t make India a developed nation in the 21st century.

In the last municipal polls and Lok Sabha polls, the Congress’s vote share increased. Can that hurt the AAP?

I don’t think the Congress is anywhere in the current election. Different poll surveys also suggest that the Congress will end up with 2-3% vote share.

Has this become a Kejriwal vs Modi-Shah election now?

Modi ji has done a few rallies. Amit Shah has been campaigning a lot and has been telling people that you vote for the BJP and he will choose a CM face. But this is not democracy. In a democracy, it is the people who choose the CM. They have not named their candidate yet. God forbid, if they win and then appoint an incompetent CM, will it not be a big betrayal of the people?

The BJP has talked about a triple-engine government —Centre, state and the municipalities with the same party. Do you think voters will endorse that idea?

In states like Haryana, the BJP has triple-engine governance. In Uttar Pradesh, they have who knows how many engines. Is that working well? Recently, Yogi Adityanath said that Delhi schools and hospitals are in a poor shape — if we (BJP) come to power, we will bring them on a par with the Uttar Pradesh standards. People responded by saying that he should not do such a great thing; we are happy with what we have in Delhi, go back to UP.

Both PM Modi and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari have accused you of being “anti-Purvanchali”, often citing your comment about people from Bihar travelling to Delhi for treatment in government hospitals. What is your response?

We did not criticise the people of Bihar, we welcomed them. My full comment was people from Bihar come to Delhi for medical treatments. Delhi is the heart of the country and it has quality health care facilities. People from other states are most welcome. But the BJP are experts when it comes to spreading edited videos that misrepresent facts.

Looking back at your tenure, do you see any shortcomings and areas of improvement?

Yes. It is not possible to entirely clear mess created in 70 years within a five-year tenure. A lot of things we have changed, but there is room for more – especially in the areas of education and health.

Electricity is one area in which by and large, we can say, we have achieved a good amount of success and we don’t really see much scope for betterment in this one area. But, yes, there is room for development in the areas of water, pollution, transport and cleaning Delhi. Delhi has to be taken to the next level now. A large amount of work in the first five years was dedicated to foundation-level benefits. Next five years, we will dedicate in making Delhi an international capital city.

At the HT summit, you said, this time we will cross the 67-mark (abki baar 67 paar). Are you still sticking to that?

(Laughs) That was a campaign slogan. We will accept whatever the people of Delhi decide.