SENIOR AAP LEADER Atishi is confident that the party will win the Delhi assembly elections thanks to its pro-people measures. She dismisses the importance of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as an issue in the state polls, saying it may have had an impact had it been a national election. Excerpts from an interview:
How confident are you as you enter the assembly elections?
We are definitely winning this election. It is only a matter of what is the number of seats.
What is helping the AAP in this election?
A lot of work got done in the last five years, and the people recognise it. The one refrain you hear is that “Kejriwal ne kaam to kiya hai [Kejriwal has done work]”. The AAP government’s pro-people work has touched the lives of a large number of people. Especially now, at a time of economic downturn, when middle-class families, let alone the poor, are feeling the pinch, every few thousand rupees that gets added to your monthly savings [in form of subsidies] are not insubstantial.
Your critics describe the subsidies as freebies.
It is not correct to call them freebies. What are governments there for but to provide at least basic facilities to its citizens?
The party did not do well in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Even in the Lok Sabha elections, the people were very positive towards us. But they did not see us as a viable alternative in a national election.
What are the issues that the AAP will focus on in this election?
One, of course, is that all the current schemes will continue, be it water, electricity, education, health care or free bus rides for women. Also, now our focus is going to be on making Delhi a world-class city in terms of the kind of roads, the transport system, [and] cleanliness. We need to focus on environment and pollution. By now, the basic facilities are in place. Now, we have to take things to the next level.
Also read
- MCD reconvenes today to hold standing committee polls
- Chaotic scenes at MCD House; BJP, AAP councillors exchange blows, throw ballot boxes
- Delhi to get its mayor today as MCD convenes for the fourth time
- Delhi mayor polls: Breather for AAP as SC rules nominated members cannot vote
- Delhi Mayor elections scheduled for Feb 16 after LG okays government proposal
- After two failed attempts, Delhi Municipal Corporation to hold Mayor polls today
How do you look at your challengers—the BJP and the Congress?
The Congress is not left much as a challenger. It is a straight two-way fight between the BJP and the AAP. The BJP has no one to project as their chief minister face, as a direct challenger to Arvind Kejriwal. And, they are busy fighting among themselves.
How do you look at the BJP’s pitch on unauthorised colonies?
It is very interesting and very positive. The BJP, fights elections across the country on Article 370, National Register of Citizens and Hindus vs Muslims. When they come to Delhi, they say let us talk about locally relevant issues.
In unauthorised colonies, what did they do? They [the Central government] gave 20 people registry papers, which turned out to be fraud [since] they have not changed land use, yet.
Will the Citizenship (Amendment) Act have an impact in the Delhi election?
If it were a national election, the CAA might have been an issue. If someone’s electricity bill is zero, they know that this election will have an impact on that. They may support the CAA or oppose it. But they realise that this election has no impact on [CAA].