India's BJP to Counter Anti-Establishmentism in Delhi Elections: Top Official

In the last Delhi municipal elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 181 seats in the then-272-member council, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured 49.

Narendra Modi's BJP and the AAP are due to face off in the upcoming municipal council elections in Delhi scheduled for December 4.

This will be the first Delhi poll after the unification of its civic bodies in May.

In this interview with Sputnik, BJP election committee convenor Ashish Sood speaks about the party’s strategy for the polls.

Sputnik: BJP has been in power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the past 15 years: how will the party counter the anti-establishment sentiment?

Sood: First of all I would like to say that we have never thought that we are in power in the MCD. Rather, we are working to serve the city. We have always thrived to work to provide better services to the citizens of Delhi.

The MCD has played an important role during the tough time of COVID. While people were inside their homes to save themselves from the virus, MCD workers were busy serving them by cleaning the roads, picking garbage up from homes, and through other work.

People of Delhi have seen all this and those who are saying that nothing has been done - they also know it. Fifteen years ago, when BJP was not elected... who used to pick garbage from the doorsteps of the people? We started it. Now, MCD vehicles roam around in the localities and pick up garbage.

Therefore, all the work done by BJP for the people of Delhi will counter the anti-establishment factor.

Sputnik: What are the key developments the party would like to put forward to Delhi citizens?

Sood: The list of work is endless. We have developed community centres, made good schools, parks, health centres, maternity homes and a lot [more].

There are 15,000 parks in Delhi and just think if those wouldn’t have been maintained: where people of the city would have gone for morning walks and breathe fresh ai?

Similarly, we have worked hard to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the city. All the work done by the BJP in the municipal corporation is visible.

Sputnik: AAP has emerged as a strong competitor. What is BJP offering to outpace them?

Sood: The “Sankalp Patr” (BJP’s manifesto for the MCD elections) in itself outpaces the AAP in the polls. They keep on shouting that BJP, while being in the MCD, has raised the mountains of garbage. But people of Delhi know that we have collected it from their homes and put it there (away from their localities) so that they live in a hygienic environment.

Apart from this, we have promised that synthetic turf will be installed in the parks so that no one faced problem while walking.

We have also promised to give a fixed deposit of INR 50,000 ($615) to the girls along with an amount of INR 50,000 ($615) during their marriages. In our health centres, we will be providing the facilities of pathology labs.

So, these are the promises we have made and we are committed to fulfill them. In the past also, BJP has fulfilled all the promises it made.

So, on one hand, the BJP has good work to show while on the other, the AAP has bundles of false guarantees.

AAP had promised homes in place of slums, but never delivered. It was done by the BJP. They are talking about mountains of garbage in Delhi but I would like to say that it is impossible to remove garbage. However, the landfills are decreasing every day and as we disposing it off in a strategic way.

There is a new policy under which we will be using this garbage as the base to construct roads. If the [AAP-led Arvind] Kejriwal government would have released the money for the MCD timely, we would have disposed off the garbage in a much better way.

Sputnik: There have been mutual accusations of corruption between the BJP & AAP. Could you please comment on the issue?

Sood: If a party like AAP levels allegations of corruption then it is the biggest hypocrisy.

If the BJP is corrupt, then why [is] the minister of AAP in jail. If AAP was not involved in any corruption while rolling out the liquor policy, then why was it rolled back after the lieutenant governor demanded a probe into it.

We can’t expect anything from the AAP. They can only level the allegations and not prove anything. Arvind Kejriwal has always said that if anybody finds anyone involved in corruption then he or she can record it and share with him.

Did any video of BJP politician involved in corruption surface? On the other hand, there were videos where AAP politicians were filmed on camera demanding money in lieu of ticket spots in the MCD polls.

I am not saying that there is no corruption at all, there might be some individual cases but we are committed to stop that too.

On the other hand, AAP has been doing institutional corruption through various means.

Sputnik: What were the main points when finalizing candidates for the upcoming polls?

Sood: In BJP, only one way exists to finalize candidates. We all sit together and deliberate on the names of the candidates. We think about the interest of the city first, then see who has the intent to work for the people and then who has the acceptability among the people. So, all the candidates have been selected through this process only.

Sputnik: The MCD has been unified again. What is your opinion of this?

Sood: Unification of the MCD is a significant step. Since the corporation has been unified there has been no strike. When the corporations were not unified there were various problems like tax collection from East Delhi was less but the expenses were more. This used to create troubles.

Now the collection of taxes and expenses has also been unified. The development is also unified and we are able to cater to the people of Delhi in a better way.

Apart from this, it will be difficult for the an Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government to stop the payment of the united MCD. Earlier, he used to stop the payment of the one corporation and release the payment of others due to which there used to be a discontent in the MCD workers.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the expert and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.