Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asserted that the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 will be fought on the issue of full statehood for the national capital, while alleging that the “democratic rights” of the people of Delhi were trampled through the Ordinance and the Bill.
Speaking in the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal lashed out at the BJP-led Centre saying the ordinance on services matter was brought as money power and the threat of the ED and the CBI failed in Delhi, while exuding confidence that the Supreme Court would overturn the Bill.
“I strongly feel that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP will lose all seven seats in Delhi, and this election will be fought on the issue of getting Delhi full statehood,” the AAP national convener said.
He further claimed that the BJP has brought the “Sanghi” model of democracy through the Services Bill.
“The Prime Minister has taken off on a chariot being pulled by three horses — the ED, CBI and money. With these horses, he toppled the governments in several states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. This chariot also reached Delhi and our MLAs were offered Rs 25 crore each (to topple the AAP government), but the people of Delhi have chosen diamonds and none of our MLAs could be lured,” he said.
In Maharashtra, those jailed in corruption cases got bail after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he claimed.
“But without committing any crime, (Delhi ministers) Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were put in jail. Today, if they join the BJP, they will get bail. But they have refused to do so,” he alleged.
Speaking about the GNCTD (Amendment) Act, Kejriwal said it was brought by Modi to “end the AAP and its government” in Delhi.
“In 2013, the sentiment towards the Congress was negative and there was a Modi wave across the country. On December 4, 2019, Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections were held and on December 8 the results were announced. A surprise happened there.
“A new party won 28 seats and formed the government. On December 28, the government took oath. How Modi ji must have felt at that time? Our government worked for 49 days but those days are remembered by everyone. Corruption was eradicated in Delhi,” he said.
“After we resigned, they (BJP) heaved a sigh of relief. They won the Lok Sabha polls with a huge majority and they felt that the AAP was over… Modi ji won Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and then Delhi’s turn came. AAP got 67 seats out of 70 in Delhi and Modi ji’s party was confined to just three seats,” Kejriwal said.
The chief minister alleged that it was on that day that “Modi ji swore to end the AAP and its government”. But God had other plans. Modi ji wanted to destroy the AAP but in nine years, people made us the third largest party in the country,” he said.
The Delhi CM also alleged that the bureaucracy of Delhi has been “weaponised”, alleging that last year they stopped the supply of medicines to AAP’s mohalla clinics and threatened officers.
“The officer who does good work is thrown out. Corrupt officers are given plum posts. They stopped laboratory tests for mohalla clinics and stopped foreign training for teachers. In the last one-and-a-half years, basic repairs carried out by DJB have stopped,” he alleged.
The CM also attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for defending the Bill during the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament.
“The home minister gave a two-hour speech and did not even say a single line on the benefits of this bill. He kept saying we have power. You have been given the power to work for people and give them electricity. Power is not for trampling rights of people,” Kejriwal said.