NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party has finalised its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections and will be soon making it public.Issues ranging from housing for all, quota in jobs and colleges and relief from sealing drive for Delhiites can be expected in the election manifesto.
According to senior leaders, the AAP which has planned its entire campaign on the demand of getting a full statehood status for the national capital, the statehood issue will be reflect prominently in the manifesto.Unemployment, a topic that AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has been hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will find a place in the Lok Sabha manifesto. In this aspect, the AAP government’s proposed 85 per cent domicile reservation in DU colleges funded by it may find also some bearing on employment plan.
In fact, the 85 per cent quota for Delhi students could itself find a place in the AAP manifesto as the party is focusing on the next generation of voters.Given Delhi’s unique status of a Union Territory that is administered by both the Centre and the government of the National Capital Territory, land, law and order are under the purview of the Lieutenant Governor’s office. Decision making authority in these areas lies with the Lituenant Governor, an issue pointed out by Kejriwal at every rally that he has been holding in the last one month.
In the manifesto, the AAP will be talking about how after becoming a full state, the police will be under the Delhi government and the law enforcement agency can be held more accountable for women’s safety and corruption.
Regarding land issues, Kejriwal has been promising housing for all in the next few years. This can also be a part of the manifesto. The Delhi Development Authority, which is not under the current regime, will be under the NCT government once the city becomes a state.
The AAP, which blames the Narendra Modi-led central government for sealing drive, will be reaching out to the public on the issue. It will try to convince voters that the sealing drive will stop and the sealed shops will be opened once the Delhi government gets full power.
The Metro fares are also expected to find a place in the party’s manifesto. The AAP government is vehemently opposed to hike in fare, with senior leaders, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, having publicly stated on many occasions that the public transport should not be out of reach of the poor.The AAP manifesto will highlight the work done by the party in Delhi in the last four years and how much more it can do if Delhi becomes a full state, which, it claims, will be possible only if it wins all the seven seats in Delhi.