New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Monday witnessed strong arguments over women security with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blaming each other for not doing anything.
During the discussion, however, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said there should not be politics over the issue and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to come together to improve the situation.
Urging Home Minister Amit Shah to join hands to deal with crime against women, he said, “Delhi needs his support to make the city a safe place. We don’t like if Delhi is called a rape capital. No one, I believe, from the Congress or the BJP feels proud of that.”
Kejriwal said the city wanted a solution. “The judicial system should be tightened. The crime against woman should be dealt with in a mission mode. Conviction in the rape cases should be in six months.”
The Chief Minister said not just the government or the police could be blamed for the situation. “We should also see what has been done to the mentality of men, boys. The Delhi schools should do something to make young boys sensitive. Only the police and the government can’t do this. The society should change,” Kejriwal said and asked the Education Minister to take a note of it.
Earlier, taking part in a short duration discussion, AAP legislators criticised the Centre. “On one hand, the Centre talks about women security with ‘beti bachao, beti padhao’, on the other they are doing nothing,” said Bandana Kumari (AAP).
The Centre had not done anything to make the city safer for women, even as they control the law and order, she added. Rakhi Birla (AAP) said women were scared to step out of their homes.
Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta (BJP), criticised the Kejriwal government for doing nothing for last mile connectivity. “Only blaming and accusing others will not solve the issue. Not a single dark spot has been lighted up in the last five years. They only make claims. Nothing is being done on the ground,” he said.
While the AAP was blaming the Centre, it had done nothing for women security, he added.
Speaking after Gupta, Kejriwal said he took note of the last mile connectivity and informed the House that his government was working on it. “So many crime against women make us sad,” he said.
Stating that there should be no politics on these issues, Kejriwal said, “Each and everyone should fulfil their duties.”
Kejriwal said his government installed CCTVs on the demand of people. “We gave 2.80 lakh cameras to the city. Of this, 1.05 lakh have been installed and the rest will be installed in a few months. We are also installing lights to remove dark spots.”
Kejriwal said they were installing gates in various colonies to make people feel secure. “If Delhi has CCTVs everywhere, this will put fear in criminal’s heart,” he said and added, “the government has done so much work, but has to do a lot more”.
“I request the Centre to ensure proper law and order in the city. People are not getting any help from the police. We must acknowledge these issues. We all should work together,” Kejriwal said.