The Hindu : New Delhi News : Leaders go all out to woo voters

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Friday, Nov 14, 2008
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New Delhi

Leaders go all out to woo voters

Staff Reporter

Sheila urges the people to vote for the Congress if they wanted continuous progress
Common man hard by inflation; terrorism has created a sense of fear among masses: BJP

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Chief Ministerial candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra were among a large number of senior leaders who addressed meetings in their constituencies on Thursday for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

Ms. Dikshit urged the people to vote for the Congress if they wanted continuous progress and accused the BJP of undertaking a communal campaign for securing votes while addressing corner meetings in the Gole Market area of her New Delhi constituency.

The Chief Minister visited Palika Dham Andh Vidyalaya, Gandhi Sadan, Valmiki Basti, Police Quarters Parliament Street and Raja Bazar addressing voters. She said that for stability and progress it was essential that the Congress was returned to power.

Since these areas are predominantly inhabited by government servants, Ms. Dikshit also spoke about how the Congress-led government at the Centre had revised the pays by 21 to 40 per cent and also corrected anomalies that existed so that the public servants led a good life. She also pointed out that inflation in Delhi was lower than the national average.

40 meetings

On the other hand, Prof. Malhotra addressed about 40 public meetings in the past few days and would start his second phase of campaign on Friday. He has accused the Delhi Government of being involved in various scams and scandals, which had resulted in loss of hundreds of crores to the exchequer.

The BJP leader observed that in Delhi neither the pocket nor the life of the citizens was safe.

The high cost of living had impacted the lives of the people and repeated acts of terrorism had created a sense of fear among the people.

“It is ironical that instead of honouring the late Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma who sacrificed his life in an encounter with the terrorists at Batla House, the Congress Government has been encouraging the latter,” he lamented.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly and BJP candidate from Janakpuri Jagdish Mukhi took out a “padyatra” in A-2A Block of Janakpuri, Telecommunication Colony, Chander Nagar and Narang Colony. Addressing meetings, he charged that the Delhi Government had failed to deliver on its promise to provide full ration to every person of low income group.

“The Above Poverty Line claimants are yet to be given their cards by the Government,” he said, adding that the Food and Supply Department was only supplying 7 kg of rice and 15 kg of wheat as against the promised quantity.

Charging that the Delhi Government had played a big fraud on the poor under the Antoydaya Anna Yojana (red card) scheme by not renewing all the cards, Prof. Mukhi said on coming to power the BJP would probe the large-scale irregularities.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana also addressed meetings for the BJP candidates and declared that these elections would be “historical” as people now do not want to see the Congress leaders in power even for a day.

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