The people of Delhi are looking to the Congress once again to continue the 15-year development journey set in motion by late Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief Subhash Chopra told The Hindu in a recent interview. Excerpts:
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Congress improved its vote share and in five out of seven seats it came in second after the BJP. Do you think this performance will improve in the Assembly elections? And what lessons has the Congress learnt from its defeat in the 2015 Assembly elections?
The 2015 Assembly elections were very different. It was contested on the basis of the Jan Lokpal Bill and a corruption-free society. Now, the issues are different and the main plank is development. This is a local election and one should always fight a local election on local issues. When the Congress government came to power in Delhi, there was no electricity and no water. Over 15 years, under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit, we solved the electricity and water problems, we built the Delhi Metro, we built infrastructure like flyovers, we introduced CNG to tackle pollution. Delhi even won an award for the best green city in the country.
Arvind Kejriwal came with the slogan of Jan Lokpal and a corruption-free society. Not only has he not been able to achieve that, he stopped the development work of the Congress and was unable to maintain the pace of development. People of Delhi want the Congress back so that the transformation of Delhi can continue, and we are confident that we will get a majority and form the government.
The Congress has taken a stand against the CAA, the NRC and the NPR and has said that it will include it in its manifesto as well. You have said that the election will be fought on local issues but do you think this will be a major election plank? Why do you think the AAP has been cautions with its stand?
Delhi is a mini-India and we have been against this plan of the BJP to polarise society since the time the Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled. The BJP government has added six new clauses to the National Population Register (NPR) to harass the poor. It is not something that impacts only a single community, but the country as a whole and we will not introduce it in Delhi, like several non-BJP governed States have done. As far as Mr. Kejriwal is concerned, I don’t understand how a person who sat on dharna outside the Rail Bhawan to get three police officers suspended is so silent now when students of Jamia Millia Islamia were beaten up after the police entered the library on campus without asking for permission from the university Vice Chancellor. The same police stood as spectators waiting for the VC to call them in when masked goons beat up students at JNU. The CM was in his bungalow sleeping and a month after the incidents, with an eye on votes, made a statement that his party was against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. AAP has not had a word of sympathy for the women of Shaheen Bagh. It is the Congress that has been with the students and people of Delhi who are fighting to save the Constitution and the future of India. AAP is the ‘B-team’ of the BJP.
Why are you saying that AAP is the ‘B-team’ of the BJP?
The India Against Corruption movement brought the BJP to power at the Centre and AAP to power in Delhi. Since then, people who were members of the party like Prashant Bhushan, Ashutosh, Yogendra Yadav and Kumar Vishwas have all left AAP. There must be something wrong if the 10-20 people who genuinely wanted a corruption-free society have left the party. Instead of sending one of the genuine people in the party to the Rajya Sabha, the AAP nominated two rich people. This shows that Mr. Kejriwal is only after money. The movement that brought him to power has been diluted and even the people who founded the movement have left because they have seen the reality of the party from inside. Moreover, AAP fought its last election asking for full statehood for Delhi, but when a full State like Jammu and Kashmir was turned into a Union Territory and bifurcated, Mr. Kejriwal supported the move.
AAP has gone on a media blitzkrieg showing its achievements over the past five years. How will the Congress counter AAP’s claims of development?
In which field has Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal achieved anything? The only department in which he has got 100% marks is in the field of advertising where he has wasted the money of the taxpayers. That money could have been put to better use to actually bring about concrete development. Otherwise, I do not see any department where he can boast that he has achieved something.
As far as free electricity is concerned, the Congress government was the first to start subsidy in electricity. We will ensure that when we come to power that the benefit will reach the people of Delhi directly. On the other hand, reports have shown that Delhi’s water is not safe for drinking. We will be launching a scheme to ensure water security and provide cash back to those consumers who make judicious use of water so that we will not face a water shortage in the future.
The Congress and AAP have been focusing their respective campaigns on development, but the BJP has been raking up a lot of national issues and one candidate has been reprimanded for certain objectionable statements. How will the Congress ensure that local issues are discussed?
The BJP is constantly trying to polarise the election. There was no reason for violence in Delhi; the Capital never saw such violence earlier. Why have those people who have indulged in violence not been booked yet?
AAP has particularly been publicising development in the education and healthcare sector. How do you see their claims?
When it comes to education, children have dropped out of school, and AAP has built only a handful of new schools instead of the 500 promised in its manifesto. In fact, it has converted playgrounds that are essential for children into classrooms.
In the health sector too, we brought the scheme of opening 27 new hospitals but they abandoned it. They are boasting that they have improved the healthcare sector but at the same time the CM and the Deputy CM have spent lakhs of money getting treatment from hospitals outside Delhi.
AAP was unable to give pension to widows, senior citizens and the disabled and they are claiming that they have done so much work in Delhi. A government that cannot even give pension is spending so much on advertising its work. That is why the Congress will provide ₹5,000 as pension in a new scheme named after former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who was the mother of Delhi.
Regularisation of unauthorised colonies is a major election plank. The Congress has opposed the scheme. How will you explain to residents of unauthorised colonies why you have opposed the scheme?
Forty percent of people living in unauthorised colonies will not benefit from the Central government’s scheme. The BJP said it will give registration to everybody. But till today, they have given only 20 registrations. Why have registrations not been given to people? The BJP is just waiting for another 10-15 days and after that they will forget about the scheme. It was only a scheme brought out for the election.
The Congress has announced a mix of young and senior faces but many senior leaders are missing. Why are you not contesting?
If I contest, then who will manage the election of the other candidates? My daughter is contesting. And, it is not because of me that she is contesting, but because of her own merit. And, like her, there are many faces that have been working for the party in the background and it is now time for such educated young people to come to the forefront.
Why did the Congress give the Rashtriya Janata Dal four seats?
We have a national alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party and we formed an alliance in Delhi as there was a demand from pockets in the city that have a large Bihari population. We have done this to give respect to the people of Bihar who live in Delhi.
When you took charge as DPCC president, there was a lot of infighting in the party. Is it functioning cohesively now?
I think I have been very successful and I have brought everybody together. There is nobody who is against me. And, I am doing my level best to ensure that the Congress comes back to power in Delhi with a majority.
