JOIN USKejriwal reiterates demand of statehood
Chief Minister reiterated his demand of full statehood for the capital while unveiling a statue of the first CM of Delhi Braham Prakash in Najafgarh on Saturday.
Recently, the High Court held that the Lieutenant Governor is the administrative head of Delhi. Kejriwal said that the first CM of Delhi also “fought for providing full statehood” to the capital.
“When I was talking to Chaudhary Braham Prakash ji's son, he told me that Chaudhary ji was also fighting for complete statehood for Delhi in 1950-51 period,” said Kejriwal, who had returned to Delhi after a 10-day vipassana course in Dharamsala.
“We are also fighting to provide full statehood to Delhi,” he added.
The CM said that the government has been striving for the development of Delhi by providing better services to the people. “Why should the value of a vote of a Delhiite be any less than that of a vote of a local in Haryana? When a resident of Haryana votes, he gets a state government with more powers. When a Delhiite vote, he gets a government with different set of powers. Why this disparity?” said the CM.
“We Dehiites are also a part of this country. We live in the national capital, so we have more say to get a government which can take decisions independently," he added.
“But our vote has no value.” Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain said the file relating to the land pooling policy for developmental projects in the identified urbanised villages in Delhi is with the Centre.
Under the land pooling policy, 45 % of the land will be with the DDA. The Delhi government has written to the Centre asking for 10-12 % of the land for schools, hospitals, police stations, fire stations, playgrounds.
This is necessary. We have repeatedly asked for 10 plots from the DDA for constructing hospitals and we have not got it in the last one and a half years.
We are not sure if they will give us any plot later. So we have asked for the plots for welfare of the public in advance. We do not have the file.
The Delhi government is not delaying the land pooling policy but wants to implement it at the earliest,” said Jain.
Along side new houses being constructed, adequate number of hospitals and schools should also come up, he added.
The Chief Minister said the file would be cleared in a day when the city government receives it. Kejriwal said that the statue will inspire people. “Whenever locals including relatives of late Chaudhary Braham Prakash ji's met us over the past one year, they had demanded that the government should install a statue of the first CM of Delhi,” said Kejriwal.
“So that whenever they look at the statue, they can take inspiration from his life,” he added.
The CM said that Brahm Prakash had led the freedom movement from the front.
“He sacrificed everything for the struggle of independence,” he added.