Addressing a massive gathering of party workers in Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium on Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched his struggle for full statehood for the national capital.
“Delhi was first under Mughals, then Britishers came and is now caged under L-G rule. Today, Delhi has come together for full freedom,” he said amid loud cheers from supporters.
Announcing a city-wide campaign, Kejriwal urged all Opposition parties to unite for demand of complete statehood.
“It’s not just the Aam Aadmi Party’s fight… All parties should come together to support this demand. We will convene an all-party meeting soon to seek support for complete statehood for Delhi,” Kejriwal said at the gathering.
“Can any Governor dare to refuse meeting with Elected Chief Minister of his State? It happens in Delhi because it is not a full state,” said Kejriwal referring to the recent standoff between him and Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
The lack of statehood was the reason behind the continuous tussle with the lieutenant governor and the alleged strike by bureaucrats, according to Kejriwal.
“L-G has insulted 2 crore voters of Delhi. People of Delhi will response to ignorance of these people in 2019 elections,” he asserted.
He claimed that Delhi will see rapid development once it becomes a “full state”.
The Aam Aadmi Party chief also said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi should clarify whether his party is in support of this demand.
“Rahul Gandhi should clarify why his party leaders Ajay Maken and Sheila Dikshit are opposing Delhi’s full-statehood,” he said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, Kejriwal accused both the BJP and the Congress of “betraying the people of Delhi”.
“BJP and Congress have betrayed the people of Delhi. Before every election they promise full statehood but never fulfil it,” he said.
“I want to remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his promise to grant full statehood to Delhi. If he doesn’t deliver on it, his party will not get a single seat in the next elections,” the Chief Minister said pointing out that all seven Parliamentary seats of the national capital are with the BJP.
He demanded that as long as Delhi doesn’t get a full statehood, the L-G should be someone elected by the people and not by the Centre.
The Delhi Assembly had recently adopted a resolution on “full statehood” during a special session. At that time, Kejriwal had said he would campaign for the BJP if the Centre granted full statehood to Delhi.
The AAP also launched a signature campaign titled “Delhi Mange Apna Haq” today to drum up support from 10 lakh people on the full statehood issue. The campaign will start on July 3 and end on July 25. The signatures collected will be handed over to the Prime Minister.