Concerned over increasing cases of crime against women in Delhi, BJP has promised setting up of a women commando force and fast track courts to try such cases if voted to power in the upcoming Assembly polls.
Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari said the party has ambitious plans for development of Delhi in various sectors and wants to wipe out the tag of "rape capital" which he alleged the city has earned during the Congress rule, stressing that tackling this issue is the "highest priority".
The party will also make efforts to set up fast track courts to deal with crime against women if it forms the next government in Delhi, wher it has been out of power for 15 years. Law and order in the national capital is handled by the Centre. Gadkari, who is in charge of party affairs in Delhi, is confident of the party's success, saying the Sheila Dikshit government was facing "anti-incumbency" due to a host of issues, including price rise.
Congress had come to power in 1998 in the wake of anger of the people over rising prices of onions. Gadkari, who is taking care of the BJP campaign in Delhi elections, dismissed reports of the Aam Admi Party damaging his party's prospects. "When Anna Hazare himself does not have any trust in AAP, how will the people trust it," he said.
Gadkari said AAP claims to be a party of the common people but has given tickets to 'Crorepatis'. AAP candidate Shazia Ilmi has declared assets of Rs 32 crore in her affidavit. "Arvind Kejriwal and his party members attack the BJP and Congress all the time but AAP has given tickets to those whom BJP denied a ticket," Gadkari said.
He alleged that AAP is the B-Team of the Congress and is working in close coordination with Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit. "Congress is helping AAP in different ways," he claimed.
Asked what BJP feels about AAP's performance in the polls, Gadkari said, "It is not going to win but will act as a vote-katwa (vote cutter). "Anna's criticism and the recent sting have already taken the wind out of their sails. AAP will not cause any damage to BJP."
Gadkari dismissed the Congress and AAP manifestos for Delhi. "There is a lot of anger against the Congress party. Since it has failed to implement its promises of checking price rise within 100 days of coming to power and of checking corruption, its manifesto has no credibility," he said.
"As for AAP, since everybody knows they are not going to come to power so their manifesto is of no use," he added. Asked about the resentment among sections of BJP over ticket distribution, Gadkari conceded there was some anger initially but claimed it was over now.
He pointed out that there were 1,500 people vying for tickets for the 70 Assembly seats and hence it was difficult to satisfy everybody. "In some constituencies there were up to three good candidates per seat and it was very difficult to finalise a candidate. But the process of ticket distribution was done in a democratic and fair manner," Gadkari said, adding that there has been no allegation of "tickets being sold".
Asked about BJP's decision to deny Harinagar MLA Harsharan Singh Balli a ticket, Gadkari said, "I feel sad that we could not give a ticket to Balli. But the Congress giving him a ticket shows they did not have a winning candidate for that seat." The party is courting the sizeable Purvanchali population-- hailing from Bihar ans eastern Uttar Pradesh-- in Delhi.
"We have given tickets to five Purvanchalis this time when we had fielded only one in the last elections," Gadkari said. BJP has also inducted Bhojpuri singer-actor Manoj Tewari into the party. If voted to power, BJP also has big plans of cleaning up the Yamuna.
"Within three years of coming to power, we plan to make Yamuna pollution free and install facilities for recycling of the river water for industry and power projects," he said.
The party promised to install solar panels in open spaces to generate electricity, replace manual rickshaws with e-rickshaws and provide soft loans for them as well as rehabilitate slumdwellers if it is voted to power.
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