(This story originally appeared in on May 14, 2013)

At 75, Delhi chief ministeris raring to go for a fourth term in the assembly elections this year. In a wide-ranging interview with, she explains why she deserves another mandate and her vision for the capitalWell, we are preparing for the elections but another term will depend on the voters. On the issue of a larger role at the Centre, I can only say that I am doing what I am supposed to do in my current assignment. If the high command takes a different decision, I will abide by that. I enjoy whatever I am doing. Delhi is a very vibrant and exciting place. There is never a dull moment here except for factors that are extraneous. For instance, Delhi is a state that does not have law and order under it. We don't have land with us. And yet people tell us on the face, 'You are the CM, do something.' They don't know where else to go. In such circumstances, I try and do whatever is possible despite all these constraints like the December 16 case.Everyone likes to move on and push forward but it depends on the opportunity that you get and this is the opportunity that I got. I have been in this position for 15 years now. A role at Centre - we will see when the situation arises. It is not in my nature to hanker after something. We will see when we win or not win this election. That's the point I am making . It is important to finish the task at hand. If I start saying I want to run away right now, I don't think my conscience will allow it. In a big party like ours, it is not going to be my decision. It is for the party to decide. For now I am concentrating on how we contest this election and win.We will try to make it not just a (campaign for a) cold development city where you are only making flyovers , and metros, adding buses or making wider roads. There are human beings here. How do you cater to the needs of every human being whether it is the handicapped, widows, old and not so well off and also the well off who have two, three, four cars. So, the campaign strategy will be multi-layered .I would like to campaign holistically because we have developed Delhi over the past 15 years fairly holistically. Whether it is the green cover, supplying water to five lakh people coming to Delhi to settle down and also those coming to work here from satellite towns and settle here. You need a pedestrian to be able to walk as much you need a cyclist to be able to use the road. You also need greenery as much you need anything else because it makes the air quality better. My goal in the next five years, if I am there, would be to make Delhi not just the best city in the country, which it probably already is, but a city which others would like to emulate.We don't have to necessarily follow what the BJP does. I hope that eventually we should be able to make Delhi a model…not just in infrastructure development but also for social and equitable development.I don't know whether AAP will impact the Congress in the polls. I am not able to understand AAP. They started off in Anna Hazare's time with demonstrations against corruption. The message was that they were not interested in politics but wanted to weed out corruption from our society. Then their team broke up, apparently due to some ideological differences.Then Mr Kejriwal said that he was going to announce a party and we had AAP. He then said they will contest every seat in Delhi. Then he went on some kind of a fast in Sunder Nagri. Why he announced the fast I am not clear. Then he called off that fast. Why did he do that? Whether the aim of the fast was fulfilled is not clear to me. So, I am not too confident and sure about what he wants.No…I have said earlier that it is the decision of a court (to acquit Sajjan Kumar). The CBI has fortunately said it will go in appeal again. It is not a decision that a state government or a society has taken.Can you see the anger? I don't . 1984 kitna purana ho gaya… it is there of course… but Congress has not given tickets to people involved in cases. I wish you would also observe that the Congress is not encouraging the accused. The matter is in the court and let the court decide.Corruption per se worries me just as it worries you. But I also feel that while the person involved in corruption is called corrupt, the one who comes seeking favours should also be punished. The other day a man came to me with a plastic bag and opened it before me. I thought it was a bag of sweets. He told me it was money collected for my election. He had come to seek a ticket. I was so angry and lost my patience. Such people should also be punished as they are also corrupt.I personally think there are two aspects to it. One is fear of the law. By law I mean those who represent the law and order machinery which is the police. The second is how to change thinking in society. Of course, it is a much more open society and there is access to more information, thanks to the media. It is a serious problem and we all need to get together on it. For this we have set up this helpline 181. There are so many calls, in thousands.There was this recent case of a small child who was raped. This call came to 181 first but the police did not react. Therefore , I feel the whole system of responses within a society and also the law needs to be looked at.I would not say fear. I think there is no trust in the police. People think that thane mein jayenge toh aur harassment hoga.Law and order comes under the home ministry and it is implemented by the lieutenant-governor . But the common man cannot go to the home ministry, lieutenant-governor or police commissioner. They come here or go to their representatives. We are unable to do anything except for making phone calls. Sometimes it is after the incident has taken place. My point is that people believe it's me (who's responsible) but I have nothing to do with it.I have written a paper on this and I am going to send it to the home ministry. Law and order for the ordinary citizen, implemented by the police, should come under the state and traffic police should be separate from policing. VIP security and the city's security from attacks should be under the central government.I suppose it is justified as it is thought to be so. But, yes, of course, it bothers me and makes me feel bad. What bothers me more is how to remove that tag. I am told and have read about it too that worse happens in Madhya Pradesh and it is very bad in other places too. We have to be careful, and unless society cooperates, don't expect the police alone to detect such cases.He says what he thinks he should. There are times when he oversteps as a son. He is now a second-term MP… right. He speaks only that much and I listen to him only as much i.e., in his capacity as an MP. As a son, it is different and as MP something else. I tell him 'you got an opportunity and now you are on your own.' I have no plan to see him step into my shoes. I hope he steps into bigger shoes than mine.People have to pay for using scarce resources like power and water and not paying your bills is not a solution. The Aam Aadmi Party campaign, however, seems to have struck a chord and drawn the BJP also into it. How will you convince consumers that the discoms are above board on tariff and service issues?I don't have to. It is DERC which does it. People of Delhi and all of you must understand that the DERC does the tariff after it has consulted all stakeholders. Delhi's tariff is still the lowest apart from Mumbai. Haryana and UP just raised their tariff and no one made any noise. Ninety nine per cent people have power connections here. Tell me where else you have this? If the BJP says it will reduce tariff by 30%, I would like to ask as a citizen of Delhi how you will do it.In Delhi we have done the Annshree (cash-for-food ) for people outside the PDS. Now we have extended it to the widows enrolled for pensions with the state as well. Yes, our cash transfer schemes will be a highlight in the campaign. I believe in cash transfers and I don't believe in this middleman thing because whatever you are bringing in kind gets siphoned of.We answered every point, we replied to everything, paragraph by paragraph. The net result was that – I don't know what happened to Shunglu committee - CAG said Delhi has done nothing.Tell me where there are no traffic jams. Go to New York. It has taken us 10 years to build 192 km of Metro. Delhi is not a city which will stop growing. You'll meet new challenges all the time. For instance, we had about 10 hospitals earlier and now we have over 43 but they are also not enough. Thirty five per cent of the people who come to GTB in East and Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in outer Delhi are people from outside. They have every right to come since Delhi is their Capital. We do things to meet the demand but that is not a full stop.No, it is slower than it should have been. The problem is that there are only two suppliers in terms of pricing - Ashok Leyland and TATA. They have production problems. Our work is to take on whatever we can but we have to be very careful about how we do it. We have to meet the norms very strictly as it is public transport. We have to see the pricing and durability. We are shifting from a very archaic system to a new system and it is taking a very long time, like the revamped ISBT at Kashmere Gate where you feel you are entering an airport.I am sorry, we have not been able to have a success in that. Therefore, all other BRTs we had thought of have been put on hold. Mabye, we do not have the expertise. I believe that those countries which have implemented BRT are weeping now. Let's see what happens. So, rest are on hold.No, we have said 'don't do anything'.At the moment it's on. (Agrees that there is no lane regulation) Even government cars enter the wrong lanes. But the funny part about BRT which has made me indecisive is that there are people who come and tell us that it is the best thing to happen and then there are people like you who feel it is a mess.I really hope so because in two years Metro would have gone up to 300 km. Around 24 lakh people travel by Metro and one lakh use buses. If we increase the number of buses - and by that time the Metro would have grown - I feel there will be fewer cars. But what do you do with people with six or seven cars? Parking is required. All these things are interrelated . So social awakening is important. Let us have car pools, go together wherever possible. Most cars you will notice have just a driver, or at the most someone sitting at the back.