Hitting out at past governments, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday questioned why India was not a developed country over 70 years after attaining Independence from British rule.
Speaking at the annual Independence Day ceremony organised by the Delhi government, Mr. Kejriwal said if his government could carry out improvements in health, education and power sectors in the three years it has been in power, why could not the rest of the country.
“If the other States and governments of other parties do not know how to do it, we will send [Delhi Education Minister] Manish Sisodia for 10 days to fix schools. We will send [Health Minister] Satyendar Jain to improve hospitals,” he said.
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Govt project
Referring to the Aam Aadmi Party government’s primary healthcare project, Mr. Kejriwal said, “The way people from the world over come to visit the Taj Mahal, people from the world over are coming to see our Mohalla Clinics.”
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India being recognised
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He added that though India had come to be known for communal riots and crimes against women, it was now being recognised for good efforts like Mohalla Clinics.
A delegation led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan would be visiting some Mohalla Clinics in September, he said.
Fallen behind
He added that India had in the past given the world “zero, the decimal point and the first plastic surgery”, but had fallen behind other countries when it came to development after 1947.
For instance, Japan had rebuilt itself after the devastation of the World War II, he said.
Hits back at critics
Referring to criticism of his party and government, the Chief Minister said, “People say we are in a hurry. Yes, we are in a hurry.”
After a speech that lasted for over 25 minutes, Mr. Kejriwal ended the programme by signing the song “ Hum Honge Kamyab ”, with the children in the audience joining in.