Despite remaining in power for 15 years, the Congress did not do much for the people, says Manoj Tiwari.
As the pitch for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections gains momentum, Manoj Tiwari, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief and Member of Parliament from North East Delhi, has attacked the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi for not being able to deliver on the promises made to the people of Delhi. He also accused the Congress of being a silent spectator in Delhi while informally sounding the bugle for the 2019 election campaign. Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Guardian, Tiwari said that the BJP was going to win on all the seven parliamentary seats as people have seen the kind of work its MPs have done.
He further alleged that the AAP had been involved in cases of corruption in ration deals and in producing fake degrees. Their MLAs are also involved in cases of sexual harassment and molestation, he alleged.
“The AAP has totally failed in governance. Despite having 66 MLAs, they are busy engaging themselves in fights with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and the Central government, while the people of Delhi are suffering due to lack of governance. They were supposed to deliver 1,000 mohalla clinics, but could only give 164; out of which only 24 are functional and the rest have horses tied outside these clinics. Delhi is also suffering from a water crisis, but the Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) is hardly talking about that. Their MLAs were involved in several wrongdoings. We need to go to the people of Delhi to tell them that the party they had trusted had failed them in every sphere,” Tiwari said.
Tiwari also attacked the Congress for not doing much for the people of Delhi when they were in power for 15 years.
“We will highlight the failures of both these parties in Delhi. Despite remaining in power for 15 years, the Congress did not do much for the people of Delhi. They could not solve the water crisis in the national capital. The lies, drama and conspiracy by these two political parties will be our biggest poll plank for 2019,” Tiwari added.
He further said that the AAP which came with a thumping majority has been talking about an alliance with the Congress. “What happened to them suddenly; why have they lost their confidence in Delhi to go alone? It is because they have not done any good work for Delhi. On the one hand, they say the Congress and BJP are the same, but it seems that the Congress and AAP are trying to be the same,” Tiwari said.
Asked about how the issue of sealing would be taken by the voter and whether it would go against the BJP in Delhi, as a large section of people have been affected by the sealing drive that was undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi which is ruled by the BJP, Tiwari said that even the BJP was against the sealing and it was being undertaken as per the order of the Supreme Court.
“We protested against the sealing drive being undertaken in Delhi. Even one of our councillors, who happened to be the chairman of the North Zone, had gone to the Supreme Court to say that the sealing drive that was being undertaken by the authorities in Delhi was affecting the poor people. The authorities are being selective in their action. I ask why pick and choose? If it has to be done, it should be done for all and if not, then everybody should get a respite. Every day, I get so many people coming up to me for help in this matter. I simply want to ask, why pick and choose while taking action? It was the fault of the administration that had granted them licences then,” Tiwari said.
He further added that they (the BJP) had been able to get an amendment done in the Delhi Master Plan 2021 to give respite to citizens of Delhi.
Tiwari also cleared the air about him being shifted to either Bihar or some other constituency for the Lok Sabha polls. He said that he is working for the people of his constituency and is very happy with the work and the people of his constituency, North East Delhi.
On ticket distribution for the seven Lok Sabha seats from Delhi, all of them currently held by the BJP, Tiwari said, “It is the Parliamentary committee’s decision and it will look into it.”