Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said that the slew of exposés against the AAP in the recent past will teach the latter a lesson, come MCD elections. Gupta, who is a former mayor of North DMC, said that there is massive corruption behind the facade of the ‘Arvind Kejriwal model'.
People are tired of it and want BJP to retain power, Gupta said. Speaking to Anup Verma, the party chief said that he is confident of the victory of its candidates in the elections to the unified civic body. Excerpts:
What are the major issues that will influence the MCD elections?
Corruption is the major point of contention for this election. The VVIP culture, evident in AAP’s jailed minister Satyendar Jain being given luxury treatment, is a precedent for this problem. As the jailed minister receives massages from a rape convict, AAP now stands defenceless. Delhi’s people have seen the real face of the party.
Will the AAP agenda of lack of sanitation and landfill sites hold ground?
AAP has a dearth of issues to raise prior to the elections as landfill sites exist since the sixties. The BJP is the only party which found the solution to clean these sites under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When the Congress regime was in power at the Centre and even during AAP’s government, they did not find a solution. Two years ago, trommel machines were placed at the sites under the aegis of the PM – and to date, legacy waste of up to 80 lakh metric tonnes have been removed. Besides, four ‘waste to energy’ plants has also been made operational by the MCD.
Will the 15-year-old anti-incumbency factor come to pass?
No, the factor will not work as the electorate hold no negative sentiments, neither against the BJP nor with the vision of our PM. At the most difficult time – The coronavirus pandemic – our party workers were on the streets and we were helping the Delhiites every step of the way. But the other parties did not even come out to help the residents.
If at all Delhi’s voters hold fast to the revelations of alleged corruption, and the AAP vote share dips, which party will get those votes? BJP or Congress?
Surely the BJP’s vote share will increase as the people are tired of both the AAP and the Congress – over the corruption being done by them at the Centre and state levels.
Will the unification of the municipal corporation strengthen the civic body? Will it benefit the BJP?
It will definitely benefit the party in the elections as we have made the single MCD once again so the financial status of the civic body improves in order to provide the basic amenities to the people of the national capital timely. The trifurcation of the Delhi municipal corporation was done to provide undue
financial gains to the political party in power.