Making a pitch to Delhi voters, Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was afraid of implementing Central government schemes like Ayushman Bharat and PM Awas Yojana as the beneficiaries would support the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls.
Mr. Shah was speaking at an event to lay the foundation stone of the Bharat Vandana park in Dwarka here.
Referring to the BJP’s West Delhi Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Verma, Mr. Shah challenged Mr. Kejriwal for a debate on the issue of grant of ownership rights to 1,731 unauthorised colonies, saying “Parvesh is ready, you set the date and time”. Mr. Shah said the Delhi government was blocking the granting of ownership rights to unauthorised colonies as a “conspiracy”, but the Modi government had resolved the issue by passing a law in the recently-held Parliament session.
“I want to tell the over 40 lakh residents of these unauthorised colonies that you are getting these rights with a delay of five years solely because of the Chief Minister of Delhi and the AAP government,” he said.
He said Delhiites were not getting the benefits of the PM Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat as Mr. Kejriwal was afraid that it would benefit the BJP electorally. He said the Kejriwal government could come up with any policy, but “the BJP would win full majority in Delhi”.
Speaking about the park that will be developed over 200 acres, Mr. Shah said the “strategic location”, near IGI Airport and metro stations, will make it a must-see spot for tourists.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister of State (independent charge) Hardeep Singh Puri said the park would be developed at a cost of ₹524 crore and was a part of the the Prime Minister’s promise of providing “ease of living” to all urban citizens. He said the park would be completed by March 2022.
