New Delhi: In a major development before the Lok Sabha Elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked people in Delhi to vote for the INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha polls so that their voices can be heard in Parliament. Moreover, he has also assured that inflated water bills will be waived if the alliance’s candidates are elected, as per a report by news agency IANS.
Speaking at a protest organised by his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against inflated water bills here, Kejriwal said on a lighter note that he should be given the Nobel Prize for running the government despite the alleged hurdles created by the BJP.
Delhi CM Promises Big
“If you choose the INDIA bloc this time, Delhi will have its own defence armor, and nobody can trouble the people then… No LG will then be able to harm the people of Delhi since we’ll have a strong representation in the Parliament,” he said. Kejriwal alleged that he had barely seen any of the elected seven MPs raising the real concerns of Delhi in the Parliament so far.
“Once you give these seven seats to us, I promise you that the incorrectly inflated water bills will be waived off within 15 days of the Lok Sabha Elections, and no LG will be able to do anything to the people of Delhi.
“I am hereby reiterating that you do not need to pay these faulty bills. You can tear and burn these bills right in front of BJP officials, I’m standing with you,” he said.
The AAP and the Congress, members of the INDIA bloc, have finalised a 4-3 arrangement in Delhi, under which the ruling party will contest four out of the seven parliamentary seats in the national capital. The chief minister said there are around 11 lakh families who have received inflated water bills.
“The AAP government is your government. Had the BJP been in power, it would have disconnected the water supply. Those who have received inflated water bills do not need to pay them.
“We made a scheme to settle water bills. BJP people stopped the scheme through the LG. Officers are literally crying and saying they have been threatened with suspension if they bring the scheme to the Cabinet,” Kejriwal alleged. The chief minister claimed that the BJP stalled many schemes of the city government.
“Only my heart knows how I’m running the government in Delhi. The way the BJP, along with the Lieutenant Governor (LG), has been troubling the people of the capital, and the way I have been constantly addressing and solving all these problems that people in Delhi encounter, is something that I deserve a Nobel Prize for.
“But the Nobel Prize for me is nothing but your love and support, the faith you have in me is what I have earned,” he said. The chief minister assured the people that he would implement the one-time settlement scheme for inflated water bills.
‘Delhi BJP Hates People’ Says Delhi CM
“The BJP hates the people of Delhi because you have voted for AAP three times. The BJP is taking revenge on them for choosing a common man to be the chief minister. I love you. I can die but I cannot see you in pain. I will stand like a wall between the BJP’s atrocities and you,” he said. He also accused the BJP of running a smear campaign for years.
“I can assure you that they (the BJP) will certainly pay for their sins. God is watching them, and their swollen egos will soon be shattered, just like Ravana’s. Everyone has to reap what they sow,” Kejriwal said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP demanded that the AAP government issue zero water bills to those with disputed bills. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva alleged that Kejriwal has raked up the water bill settlement issue just to divert public attention from his government’s alleged corruption.
“CM Kejriwal needs to understand that people in Delhi know very well that the Jal Board is inundated with scams and the installation of air flow water meters has caused the problem of a few lakh consumers getting excessive bills,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
