lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Mar 24, 2019 08:48 IST

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday launched its Lok Sabha campaign in Delhi with road shows and public meetings led by party convener and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Harping completely on the demand to grant full statehood to Delhi, Kejriwal reiterated some of his promises, and introduced new ones.

He announced 85% reservation in jobs and colleges to Delhi residents, cheaper loans to build houses, and stopping the ongoing sealing drive against commercial establishment within 24 hours of becoming a full state.

In a rally in North Delhi’s Timarpur on Saturday evening, Kejriwal sought votes using local issues and making all promises conditional to the national Capital gaining full statehood. For this, the AAP chief contended, the party had to win all seven parliamentary seats.

“Don’t think about making a prime minister in the upcoming elections. Think about yourself, your family and your children. Let this election be about you and not the PM. If AAP wins in Delhi then getting works done would become much easier and faster,” he said in his over 30-minute long speech.

Delhi goes to polls on May 12 and AAP has announced candidates for all these seven seats in the city, the only party yet to do so.

Raking up the issue of the sealing drive in the city, Kejriwal took a dig at the BJP-led central government. He said that all the Modi government had to do was pass a “one-line ordinance” in this direction, which it didn’t.

“If Delhi becomes a full state, then in 24 hours I will stop all sealing activities in the city,” he promised.

For the first time, the CM, in his speech, elaborated on his promise to provide every Delhi family a house.

“For all these years, it is the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) that is responsible for housing in the city... and it has done nothing but to cut plots and hand it over to builders. If you make AAP win, then in 10 years, we will provide houses for every voter family in cheap and easy installments,” he said.

While also assuring 85% reservation in jobs and colleges, the CM said that on gaining full statehood AAP would open “so many” colleges and universities that even those Delhiites who get 60% would manage to get admission in good colleges. Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP would obstruct its political rallies in the coming days using the Delhi police as it is already fearing a defeat in the upcoming polls.

Apart from Kejriwal, the opening day of AAP’s election campaign also saw leaders such as deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai hold road shows and rallies in different parts of the city. On Sunday, the party has at least four rallies scheduled in different assembly constituencies.

AAP leaders have taken the line - “Dilli ka samman adhura, poorn rajya se hoga poora” (Delhi’s partial honour will be completed with full statehood) –as their main slogan for this election.