Congress MCD poll pitch: ‘This Delhi will be Sheila ji’s Delhi’

“The Congress has given the city 15 years under Sheila ji. When work happened then, it proceeded with a vision. There was thought that went into where we should be and what the path to that goal should be. For instance, on pollution, diesel buses were removed from the streets. Taxis and autos were converted to CNG. Sheila ji and the Congress were concerned about the city. There were efforts then to increase the green cover,” he said.

On pollution now, only temporary arrangements are made, like the ‘Red light On, Gaadi off’ campaign and the odd-even rule, rather than permanent ones that are needed, he said.

The ‘vision document’ released by the party on Saturday identified 11 priorities, including reducing air and Yamuna pollution levels, clearing unprocessed waste and the landfill sites, “doubling the income of the municipality” through “zero corruption” and strengthening the revenue base, and sustainable solid waste management. The tagline is for a pollution-free, corruption-free, dhalao-free, garbage-free Delhi.

Haroon Yusuf, who was a minister in the Sheila Dikshit government, said, “Our government in Delhi was sensitive towards the people. With the issue of pollution, vehicles were converted to CNG. This government is depending on hoardings and posters. As a minister, she (Dikshit) used to tell me that we must not spend much on advertisements. Delhi life has gone down so much. In the MCD elections, people are remembering us…the Congress government and Sheila Dikshit.”

Regarding AAP’s campaign that says that the Congress is “zero in Delhi”, Chaudhary said: “Delhi is now number one in pollution. The government is now number one in corruption. Satyendar Jain is running his office from jail. Was the Aam Aadmi Party around before 2013? The Congress is among the oldest parties in the country. Whether we win or lose elections is part of the democratic process. Based on winning or losing elections, you cannot decide whether the Congress is in Delhi. Congress workers have been highlighting important issues. Hum chunav haarte hain, lekin apne manviya pehlu pe khare utarthe hain. On important issues, Kejriwal has remained silent.”

The last time that the Congress won a majority in the MCD polls was in 2002, later losing its hold over the MCD to the BJP in 2007 and in 2012 after the corporation was trifurcated. In 2017, the party won 30 seats. The Congress has released a list of 250 candidates for the polls.