NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government completed one year in office on St Valentine's Day, and in keeping with the theme, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke of a deep bond with the people of the capital territory.
Adopting a pat-on-the-back slogan ‘Pehla saal bemisaal’, he announced a waiver of water bills up to November 2015.
Under the water bill waiver scheme announced by the Chief Minister, residents of posh localities will be given exemption of up to 25 per cent on their dues, while those in the not-so-upscale areas will receive 50 per cent exemption. Residents of a majority of areas will get full waiver.
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To mark anniversary day, the chief minister and his cabinet held a two-hour-long public interaction during which they presented the government's report card since storming to power with an overwhelming haul of 67 seats in the 70-member Assembly.
"We completed one year today. Now the servants of the people are standing before their masters to provide explanations," Kejriwal said, adding that his administration had not let a single paisa of taxpayers' money go waste.
In his response to a question, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to shield corrupt officials.
The AAP government has been locked in a fierce confrontation with the Centre and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung ever since coming to power.
Its relationship with the BJP-ruled Centre deteriorated significantly following a CBI raid on the Delhi secretariat in connection with an alleged graft case against the chief mInister's principal secretary Rajendra Kumar.
"Modiji is trying to protect corrupt persons in Delhi. The Delhi Assembly has passed the Jan lokpal Bill and sent it to the Centre for its approval. Once it is approved, Lokpal will nab these (corrupt) persons," said Sisodia.
Kejriwal and other ministers took phone calls from people and answered a variety of questions during the event at the NDMC Convention Centre. The chief minister also announced a Rs 800 crore project to lay water pipelines in areas where piped water is currently not available.
"We will make Delhi the first city where tap water will be worth drinking,” he declared.