Centre paralysing Delhi govt, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday continued to accuse the Narendra Modi-led Central government of paralysing his government by creating an ‘India-Pakistan like situation in Delhi’.

During the first edition of his live interactive session ‘Talk To AK’, Kejriwal claimed the Aam Aadmi Party government could have achieved four times more without the Centre’s interference.

On a question as to why Kejriwal was against the Central government, he said he was not playing the victim card. “Delhi is a victim of the narrow politics of the Central government. I am fighting for the people, not just for myself. We can ask the people of Delhi if they want statehood, a poll on referendum is a good idea,” he added.

Kejriwal reiterated that several bills passed by the Delhi Assembly, including the Jan Lokpal Bill were either not accepted by the Central government or were pending for more than eight months.

“We have done a lot of work, but there are a lot of problems that we face from the Central government,” Kejriwal said. He went on to list the ways in which his government was helpless due to the Centre’s control over the Delhi Police and the three municipal corporations.

Kejriwal also claimed that the Anti-Corruption Branch has been taken over by the Central government. “Now it only works against the Delhi government. The fact that filing an FIR being impossible for the common man, but the Central government raining FIRs on us is evident of vendetta,” he said.

 “Officers who were working diligently have either been transferred or removed from duty by the Central government. It is causing a delay in work,” Kejriwal said.