An aggressive Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday called as dictatorship the Centre’s recent notification giving Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung absolute power in the city and said people would teach a lesson to the BJP-led federal government.
Giving a report card of his government’s 100 days in office at an open air cabinet meeting, Kejriwal said the BJP, which is in power in the Centre, can’t digest its defeat in Assembly polls and is trying to punish voters by denying full statehood to Delhi.
Invoking the supernatural powers in the Delhi government’s fight against its foes, Kejriwal said, “If we tread on the path of truth, then god offers help.”
In a veiled reference to the recent confrontation with the central government, he said, “We will continue to fight to unshackle ourselves (from central government’s restrictions) but the government’s work will not be allowed suffer.”
“We do not want to fight with the Centre but we want to regain powers,” he said, indirectly accusing the Narendra Modi government of clipping the wings of the elected government in the Union Territory.
“I wish Delhi gets full statehood and gets control over police within a day,” he said in reply to one of the two dozen public questions asked at the open cabinet meeting attended by all ministers, AAP MLAs and senior officials at Central Park in Connaught Place.
The event, for which nearly two dozen LED screens were put across the venue and Inner Circle of Connaught Place was pedestrianised for a few hours, ended with a Hindi prayer sung by Kejriwal and the audience together
Earlier, promising to make Delhi 100 per cent corruption-free and the most beautiful city in five years, the Chief Minister said the Delhi High Court’s order clarifying that the Home Ministry has no rights to interfere in the matters of the Anti-Corruption Branch was a major victory for people of the city.
“Now, the ACB can act against corrupt officials even if they are from central government,” he said, adding that the anti-corruption outfit’s powers will not be restored to what these were 40 years ago.
The central government’s gazette notification of May 21 had barred the ACB from registering any case against officers and political functionaries of the central government.
Kejriwal said no government has achieved so much in 100 days as the AAP government and claimed extortion-type bribe taken by corrupt officials has come down by 70-80 per cent in government offices in 100 days.
“Corruption that thrives with mutual consent of bribe taker and giver will also be reigned in gradually,” he said.
The Chief Minister seemed a bit on the defensive on the issue of women security, probably because as he had no immediate results to share with the audience on this front.
He repeated the promise to install CCTV and post marshals in public transport buses and improve security and lighting at deserted spots.
He announced plans to hand over maintenance of parks and public facilities to resident welfare associations and said his government is focusing on 11 areas: power, water, education, health, women security, slums, unauthorised colonies, anti-corruption, traffic, pollution and inflation, among others.
Century Mark
E-ration cards
*1.8 lakh beneficiaries availed the facility
*Helped eliminate delays in procuring food
*Cards can be issued from many places across the city
Environment
*Target to plant 14 lakh saplings
*Plantation drive to start with onset of monsoon
*Involvement of various organisations, government departments, schools and colleges
*WhatsApp number and Facebook account activated for prevention of open garbage burning
Anti-corruption
*51 people arrested on corruption charges in 100 days
*Anti-Corruption Branch strengthened and activated
Several raids conducted by ministers
*1,60,000 complaints received on Anti-Corruption Helpline 1031
*Helpline has instilled fear in the minds of corrupt officials across the city
Water
*700 litres of free water per day being provided to 10.5 lakh families
*Water and sewer development charges for unauthorised colonies reduced by 80 per cent
*Water production enhanced from 835 million gallons per day to 870 MGD
*Dwarka and Bawana water treatment plants lying unused for several years made operational now
*Piped water supply extended to more than 50 new colonies and villages
Education
*20,000 teachers to be in place within a year including regularisation of guest teachers
* Infrastructure (water, toilets, labs) deficiency being mapped in all 1,010 government schools; work to be completed by July
*100 model schools created with facilities similar to private schools
*45 schools are under construction, and 79 being converted into double shift
*CCTVs to be installed in all schools and classrooms
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