During their courtesy calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cabinet Ministers Rajnath Singh and the Venkaiah Naidu, Delhi Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal and his associate Manish Sisodia raised the question of full statehood for Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party leaders were assured that the matter would be examined. Having underlined their priority for the issue, Mr Kejriwal and his people must now move on. They must realise that full statehood is an old and complex problem, requiring a constitutional amendment that cannot be accomplished in a hurry.
At any rate, excepting a few items such as law and order and land, the Delhi Government has enough powers and scope in various fields such as health, education, electricity, water, sewage, sanitation, job-creation, poverty alleviation etc, to make a notable difference to people's lives. Even in the areas not under its control, it can make its voice heard meaningfully with the cooperation of the Centre. The ball is in Mr Kejriwal's court.