New Delhi: Calling former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit better than her successor Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leader Vijay Goel said the Aam Aadmi Party has not done any work for the city in the last five years. Speaking to IANS, Goel said the AAP is just a one-man party and has nothing apart from Kejriwal.
“I don’t see any work done by Kejriwal. Giving freebies is not work. They are using the taxpayers’ money for freebies. They are trying to fool the people. The city did not get any new school, college or hospital in the last five years. This is our complaint. Just adding classrooms is not equal to setting up a new school,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Goel, also former Delhi BJP President, said the freebies related to water and electricity is being given as the city government could not show its work to the people.
“If they want to give freebies, that should be from the funds of Aam Aadmi Party. Taking taxes from people and giving freebies is not work,” Goel said.
When asked if Dikshit, who was in power in Delhi for 15 years, was a better Chief Minister, Goel said: “When compared to them, I will say Dikshit was a better Chief Minister than Kejriwal if we don’t look at corruption allegations.”
Kejriwal came to power in Delhi in 2013 ending 15 years rule of the Congress.
Goel said the AAP and its government says water is free in the city, but the issue is either people are not getting the water at all or the quality is bad.
“At least seven lakh existing connections are not getting water supply. They are not doing anything to fix it and so just saying that water is free is not a reality. Similarly, they are fooling people by saying free electricity is being given.”
Goel also said that people are getting higher electricity bills while Kejriwal says subsidy is being given on bills, “They (the AAP and government) are shouting about decreasing the per-unit charges of electricity while they increased the fixed charges. The companies are getting all the money. This is all drama. Giving subsidy on power bills is not a solution. Earlier, the companies were getting the money directly from the people’s pocket through bills. Now, the companies are being paid the money, collected from the common people’s taxes, in the name of subsidy.”
The Aam Aadmi Party has accused that there is an internal fight in the Delhi Unit of BJP. When asked, Goel said the AAP should look at its own organisation rather than commenting on the BJP.
“So many of their MLAs were involved in corruption, what have they done on that issue. The organisation (AAP) is not under the control of Kejriwal. So many people have left the party. Close to half of the prominent members have left the party. They have nothing else apart from Kejriwal and his name. It is just a one man party.”
Goel said the AAP came to power with so many promises “but look at the condition. Nothing was done for the people living in the slums. No roads have been made, no work is done on fighting pollution.”
Even for the education, they have not done anything apart from the advertisement, Goel said, “there must be a reason that people did not vote for them in Lok Sabha and five of its seven candidates lost deposits.”
He also said the AAP has not done anything to strengthen the public transport.
“About 10,000 buses were promised. They brought just 25 new buses and made advertisement for bringing 1,000.”
The former Union Minister said the Mohalla clinic has been set up on roads blocking footpaths, “this does not give a good impression about the national capital. When a foreigner sees it, he thinks the country could not afford a place for clinics.”
Goel also said that if the AAP claims that the clinics are so good, “Did Kejriwal or any of his ministers or MLAs visit these clinics for treatment?”
The MP, who had been vocal about the rights of the residents of unauthorized colonies in Delhi, said that the Kejriwal government had been creating obstacles in regularization of colonies right from the day one.
“The Kejriwal government wasted five years in maligning the Centre. If Kejriwal would have been serious towards the welfare of residents of unauthorised colonies, he would have demarcated the boundaries of these colonies and had come up with a plan for these colonies. In order to further his vote bank politics, Kejriwal is announcing decisions after decisions which he will again fail to implement.”