Ahead of the Delhi municipal polls the political parties have sharpened attack at one another. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday hit the streets to mark “liberation” from house tax, seeking to create a momentum for the party riding on one of its major poll promises. While stepping up its attack on the AAP, the Delhi BJP released an ‘Aarop Patra’ (charge sheet), alleging the ruling party has failed to fulfill most of its poll promises.
The AAP’s ward units and volunteers gathered across the city and burnt copies of house tax bills of the municipal corporations.
AAP’s Delhi in-charge Ashish Talwar said the day-long campaign received massive support which he said reflected the “anger” of people against the BJP which is in power in all the three civic bodies in the national capital.
“The BJP has mismanaged the corporations. House tax is meant to deliver services but they have just looted people. The AAP will generate enough revenue to deliver services despite abolishing it,” Talwar said.
On the other hand, addressing a Press conference at the party office on Saturday, BJP leader and former Delhi mayor Arti Mehra said the AAP has “again started making false promises” eyeing the municipal elections. “Before the Delhi Assembly polls (2015), the AAP enticed voters by making huge promises. They came up with a 70-point agenda,” she said.
“But, now those manifestos are nowhere to be seen, neither on AAP’s website nor on social media accounts of any of its MlAs. They have cheated people of Delhi,” Arti alleged.
She said the party had promised to end VIP culture by taking red-beacon off cars, build 500 new schools, give jobs to the youth, open 20 new degree colleges, and install CCTV cameras in buses.
The erstwhile unified MCD was trifurcated in 2012 into North, South and East Municipal Corporations. Out of the total 272 wards, the NDMC and the SDMC have 104 seats each while the EDMC has 64.The BJP has over 150 sitting councillors in the MCD, which it has been ruling for the last 10 years. This year the party has decided to field only fresh faces. The poll is scheduled for April 23.