All eyes are fixed on the outcome of the 2020 Delhi elections that are scheduled to be held next week. Without beating around the bush, let me state that if the voters of Delhi want a better life, it is imperative that BJP comes back to power. In this post, I will illustrate the reasons why I make this assertion and how BJP can be a breath of fresh air.
Doesn’t Delhi deserve better?
Let me start with the latest ‘guarantee card’ that was released by AAP last week. This guarantee card promises that the flagship schemes of the current government in relation to water, electricity, and bus rides will continue if the incumbent government is voted back to power. Further, Arvind Kejriwal also stated that if he is voted back to power, he will ensure that pollution is reduced significantly, free bus rides are provided to school students, and mohalla marshals are deployed in residential areas.
Now it is time to turn to the hard facts. I am in agreement with Shri Vijay Goel ji who rightly pointed out that the ‘guarantees’ highlighted by the government are essentially glaring failures. It is sad to note that the people of Delhi are yet to witness the promises made in 2015 to come to fruition. Let us rewind to the report released by Public Policy Research Centre (PPRC) in 2019 where it was stated 67 of the 70 promises that were made in 2015 manifesto by the incumbent government were not fulfilled. The report also revealed that reforms in the educational sector, which is always highlighted as a revolutionary measure to transform the lives of people in Delhi, is farcical. The people of Delhi were promised 500 new schools. But the work has been undertaken for only 26 schools in a period of four and a half years. 50% of teaching posts were left vacant in schools. The grant to government-aided colleges under Delhi University has been reduced. Further, 918 posts of principals, 600 posts were vacant and 10,000 posts of teachers were yet to be filled.
No discussion about the quality of life in Delhi without touching upon the issue of pollution. I feel that people of Delhi deserve much better. A report published by the Bureau of Indian Standards has revealed that the water in Delhi is the most polluted out of the samples obtained from 21 cities. It is time that concrete steps are taken to provide a better quality of life to the people residing there.
Why BJP is a ray of hope
BJP believes in working for the people, with the people. With this intention in mind, BJP has launched a campaign titled ‘Meri Dilli, Mera Sujhav’ to seek people’s suggestion for the election manifesto.
While the formal election manifesto is yet to be published, BJP has already started to highlight the changes that they will bring in. Electricity, education, health and infrastructure development are going to be the key focus areas for BJP. For starters, Manoj Tiwari ji, who is Delhi BJP chief, has stated that the party will give up to 25,000 liters of free water and ensure it is of “good quality”. This is a very timely measure as a large section of the population in Delhi continues to receive polluted and poisonous water. BJP will also ensure that Delhi Jal Board does not incur any loss on account of the free water supply to people. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that while the current government had promised piped water to all residents of the city. However, piped water connections were provided to only seven jhuggi jhopri clusters. More than 650 Jhuggi jhopri clusters and over 100 unauthorized colonies are still awaiting access to clean drinking water.
Delhi currently suffers from a lackluster governance style which has failed to bring in a complete overhaul of the systemic issues. The ordinary citizen has not been able to witness any changes on the ground. The results of the 2017 elections for Municipal Corporation of Delhi, where BJP secured 36% votes, drives home the point that the people of Delhi are keen for a change.
The people of Delhi deserve a vision and roadmap that will instil the faith in them that Delhi is headed towards progress. It is BJP’s promise to the residents of the Delhi that they will receive maximum benefits for the entire five year duration of the government, and not just for two-three months. I hope that BJP’s dry run for the last 21 years ends in 2020 and a golden chapter begins in the history of Delhi.
