Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday came down heavily on Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel for demanding her sacking over law and order situation, saying he ‘does not have a clue’ about the administrative system as it is not her Government but the Union Home Ministry which is responsible for the city police.
“What surprised me is the absence of knowledge about governance system of Delhi in no lesser person than the Delhi BJP chief. It appears that he does not have any clue about administrative structure in Delhi.... I have my sympathies with him for his absence of knowledge,” Dikshit said.
A delegation of Delhi BJP leaders led by Goel on Saturday had met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded dismissal of the Delhi Government on the grounds of ‘deteriorating’ law and order situation.
“Goel demanded dismissal of the Delhi Government on the issue of law and order situation. The police function under the Home Ministry. On what basis he sought dismissal of my Government,” the Chief Minister said. Rejecting Goel’s criticism of her Government on law and order, Dikshit said he will not be able to mislead the people as they were aware about the issue. “Goel was a Member of Parliament. He was part of the Prime Minister’s Office during NDA regime. He ought to know that law and order does not come under purview of the Delhi Government,” she said.
“let him criticise me. He has right to criticise me. But there must be basis for criticism. The President of India knows about the administrative structure in Delhi,” she said. Asked about Goel’s criticism that she was not very serious about demanding removal of Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar in the wake of the December 16 gang-rape, Dikshit said she had taken a very ‘strong position’ and sought concrete steps to improve the law and order situation in the city.
“I had said at that time that it was not enough to remove a couple of cops. We have to take certain serious action. We have to restore confidence of people shattered by the brutal incident,” Dikshit said. Critical of functioning of police, the Chief Minister had demanded removal of the Police Commissioner after the gruesome incident which evoked widespread protests across the country.
On the law and order situation, she said the Home Minister and the lieutenant Governor, whom the police directly reports to, must fix responsibilities for any incident to restore confidence of people of the city in policing. “You cannot fix the system overnight. There is no magic wand. But at the same time we will have to take action to restore confidence of the people. Action speaks for itself,” the Chief Minister said.
In February, Dikshit had sought the Prime Minister’s intervention to ensure better policing in Delhi, complaining the force has failed to deliver on its promise to improve women’s safety after the December 16 gang-rape incident.
The Chief Minister also lambasted Goel for trying to mislead people on issue of hike in power tariff. She said the tariff is fixed by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission after holding consultations with power distribution companies, general public and city Government. The DERC is in the process of finalising the tariff for the year 2013-14.
Vikas rally on June 9
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit may announce a huge package for various development works in the West Delhi during a rally on June 9, preparations for which have been started. Dikshit’s Parliamentary Secretary and MlA Mukesh Sharma on Sunday said this would be the biggest rally ever held. The rally to be held at Bindapur would also see the CM laying foundation of sewer line project costing Rs35 crore for various colonies of Bindapur.
“Dikshit would dedicate the newly built Coffee Home at Bindapur and also initiate construction work of a modern community centre with a lift. This would cost Rs6 crore,” Sharma said while addressing RWA office-bearers on Sunday. He said 100 corner meetings will be held to exhort people to join the Vikas Rally. He said around two lakh people would attend the rally.