To bring an end to routine run-ins with the Union Home Ministry over the appointment and posting of officials, and control over the Delhi Police, civic bodies, DDA and Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), the Delhi government will conduct an “opinion poll” and not a “referendum”, as anticipated earlier, on the issue of full Statehood.
“It’s a good idea. We are thinking about it and will surely do it. Few people call it referendum, but there is no provision for it in the Constitution. It could be an opinion poll. We will ask the people of Delhi whether land and police should come under the elected government,” Mr. Kejriwal said during the first edition of “Talk to AK,” an interactive session with the Delhi Chief Minister.
“Constant bickering”
His remark on the opinion poll was in response to a suggestion by Kerala resident Sanjeev, who said that Mr. Kejriwal should go in for a referendum/opinion poll on the issue of full Statehood to end the “constant bickering” with the Centre.
The first hour of the session saw the Chief Minister listing his government’s achievements and explaining the equation between his government and the Centre, something the Delhi government is also presenting through its full-page advertisements.
“Tough”
In fact, the first question, which the moderator Vishal Dadlani termed as “tough”, was about the huge advertisement budget, for which the AAP government has come under sharp criticism.
“There is no comparison with the RSS when it comes to spreading rumours. We have only spent Rs.75 crore on advertising and not Rs.526 crore as claimed by many,” Mr. Kejriwal justified.
When Pankaj from Mumbai asked why Delhi government ads were appearing in other States, Mr. Kejriwal replied that the entire country is interested in knowing what is happening in Delhi.
Parliamentary secretaries
The Chief Minister also explained the reason for appointing 21 AAP MLAs as parliamentary secretaries, who are now at the risk of disqualification, and their role in better governance.
“They are working for free. We have consulted top lawyers and they have all said that it is not office of profit.”
When asked about the delay in the Wi-Fi project, the Centre was blamed once again for the delay.
Wi-Fi project
“Rajendra Kumar [Mr. Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary] was looking after it, but he was arrested on July 4 on corruption charges by the CBI. We will now have to appoint a new official. But we are laying a fibre-optic cable network in Delhi and it will take two to three years. Meanwhile, we will create a network of hotspots. By December-January it will be operational in East Delhi, if it isn’t nulled and voided by the L-G [Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung],” he said.
