For Delhi BJP chief, Satish Upadhyay, the upcoming Assembly polls will be a litmus test to prove his leadership in the State unit. Riding on the ‘Modi magic’ after twin wins in Haryana and Maharashtra, and ahead of the meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah, Upadhyay and his team are leaving no stone unturned to complete the in-depth groundwork of a city as complex as the national Capital. In a candid conversation with SWETA GOSWAMI, Upadhyay talks of the party’s vision for Delhi —from revamping bodies like the Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to reviewing trifurcation of the three MCDs, besides building a Skill Development Institute for employment generation.
What would be the priority of BJP if voted to power, especially in the first 100 daysIJ
Our Government, if we win the elections, would reflect four significant features - good governance, transparent and reliable Government, and time-bound delivery of services. The first issues that we will take up are that of power and water. Unlike other governments that went on to reduce power bills with a very shortsighted view and ultimately ended up fooling Delhiites, we would focus on the functioning of discoms and augmenting infrastructure in the power sector — special attention would be given to the transmission part. Our attempt would be to reduce prices by finding long-term alternatives like bringing in competition and expediting CAG audit to get the real financial statistics of the discoms. Good things have already begun as the Centre for the first time allocated `200 crore for improvement in Delhi’s power sector. For water, our first task will be to give Delhi its share of 80 million gallons per day (MGD) from the Munak Canal. We are already in touch with the new Haryana Government on this.
Delhi is plagued by multiplicity of authorities and the city dwellers have to bear the brunt of it. How does the Delhi BJP intend to solve the issue at a time when the three municipal corporations are ruled by your party and their report card is not pleasingIJ
I must tell you that our manifesto will talk of revamping several organisations and systems. First on our list will be the PWD — it is set to get a total rejig. Next would be the DJB and then we will redefine the Public Distribution System (PDS), which has almost become defunct now.
What about the MCDsIJ
I can’t say that trifurcation of the MCDs was a wrong decision as smaller units have high performance rate, but then in all these years, we can hardly see anything which can be lauded by the people. The primary role of the civic bodies is to provide sanitation and this could not be achieved as the 15 years of Congress and 49 days of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments never released adequate funds to them. East Delhi is bankrupt right now and all these corporations are doing is giving pensions. We will devise a method in which pensions are given by the Delhi Government and not the MCD. Trifurcation will have to be reviewed.
What will be the party’s strategy to woo voters of slums and unauthorised colonies which is now a stronghold of AAPIJ
First of all, these voters are no longer the stronghold of AAP. They are disillusioned after Arvind Kejriwal (AAP convener) quit the Delhi Government. Our agenda in these areas would be to reach out to people at one-to-one level and we have assigned more workers in such pockets.
Unauthorised colonies will also be featured in our manifesto. Delhi kept on developing in an unplanned way where people in connivance of the MCDs and police have been engaged in rampant illegal constructions. We are thinking of a law wherein all those who have made their houses till 2014 will be legalised. Besides, we will be tightening the noose on the civic bodies. Once in power, the corporations would be restructured.
What about the education and health sectorsIJ
The BJP, if voted to power, will make every Government school, dispensary and hospital ISO certified. The faith in people should be such that there is more rush for admissions in Government schools than in private ones. A benchmark has to be set and there shall be rating system for all Government agencies. To address the problem of unemployment among the youth, our manifesto will promise a Skill Development Institute for Delhiites. Women’s and senior citizen’s safety will also be among our top priorities.
What will be the BJP’s stand on statehood for DelhiIJ
The issue is one of the most complex ones as there are several questions which have to be answered. BJP still wants statehood for Delhi, but the problem is that there are areas within the city which are directly under the Centre like the lutyens’ zone. There are agencies which are under the Centre like the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and above all the Delhi Police.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into the political scenario, BJP is now known as setting the benchmark when it comes to campaigning. What plans for this timeIJ
Details about campaigning would be more distinct once we meet our national president Amit Shah on Tuesday. But we will surely create innovative and tech-savvy ways of electioneering. To start with, we have already launched out interactive website. We are going to use both traditional and modern ways.
In the previous elections BJP released its candidate list very late while AAP was out with its list very early, giving its candidates time for preparations. When do we expect BJP’s list of candidatesIJ
Unlike others, we are a democratic party and we have a constitution. The list will come only after the Election Commission announces the dates for the polls.