The Hindu | Kejriwal govt thriving on politics of 'chaos and freebies': Hardeep Puri

Dec 02,2022

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has established a "standard of corruption" that is higher in "leaps and bounds" than that during the earlier Congress regime, and it is thriving on politics of "chaos and freebies", Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri alleged on Friday.

The Union housing and urban development minister claimed that the AAP will lose the December 4 MCD polls because it has failed to meet housing needs of slum dwellers and also the aspirations of the middle class.

Asserting that the BJP has a "decisive edge" in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls, Puri also said that nearly 1.35 lakh people in Delhi, including those from slums and middle class, will benefit from various initiatives of the Centre in coming times.

"People vote as per what they see around their surroundings. I campaigned in two wards in Mundka today where both the councilors and MLA belonged to the AAP. The locals said that the last time any development work took place in the area was when Sahib Singh Verma was chief minister in Delhi way back in the 1990s."

Delhiites are becoming impatient because of the lack of development under the Kejriwal government, he said.

"Is Kejriwal against providing houses to the poor," Puri said, claiming the AAP government in Delhi did not implement the PM Awas Yojna(PMAY).

"They (AAP) said they have Mukha Mantri Awas Yojna in Delhi. Ask Kejriwal when the scheme was conceptualised and how many applications were received under the scheme."

There are 675 slum clusters in Delhi out of which 376 are settled on DDA and central government land. Also, there are 299 clusters under Delhi government's agency DUSIB (Delhi Urban Shelter Board) where no work has been done, he said.

Puri said if the BJP wins the MCD polls, the slum clusters under DUSIB will also be taken up for rebuilding.

"After the elections, we will also rebuild clusters under DUSIB with the help of MCD and Centre," he said.

Puri alleged the AAP contested elections on the basis of "politics of chaos and freebies" without focusing on genuine issues and claimed that the MCD polls in Delhi were focused on developme

"They practice 'revri' politics promising to make things free of cost in every sector. But they forget that if you are giving subsidies to one section of the society, you are taking it from some other section of the society."

Responding to the AAP's allegations that 15 year rule of BJP at the municipal corporations created mountains of garbage at the three landfills in the city, Puri said, "What stopped the Kejriwal government from solving the problems like landfill sites and providing housing facilities to slum dwellers and regularisation of unauthorised colonies," adding that land is a state subject.

Puri said that under Modi government's redevelopment schemes, 10 lakh people will be benefited under Jahna Jhuggi Wahin Makan scheme and 50 lakh will benefit under PM-UDAY scheme for regularisation of unauthorised colonies.

The land pooling policy will further benefit 75 lakh people in rural areas of the city. He said that the draft Master Plan of Delhi (MPD), 2041 recommends extending floor area ratio (FAR) up to 260-340 depending on plot size, a move that will benefit middle class.

Puri claimed he can complete the entire redevelopment work in Delhi within 5 years, if the BJP comes to power at the MCD and also wins the next Assembly polls.