New Delhi: On the last day of campaigning for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday heard the woes of traders’ associations and promised to remove ‘licence raj’ and de-seal closed shops if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) comes to power in the civic body.
“Unnecessary license will be over, services will be made available online: a single-window application for time-bound results. Sealing is a big issue but I assure you that I will understand it and try my best to de-seal all shops. Our conscience is clear. MCD seals them (the shops) to get money for de-sealing and then asks for protection money. We will end the inspector raj here,” he told a gathering of traders at Britannia Chowk.
The CM was indirectly hinting at how corrupt MCD officials exploiting citizens for money in the name of licences, taxes, parking fees among others.
Since his arrival from Gujarat Thursday, the AAP chief has addressed Resident Welfare Association (RWA) representatives at the Panchshila Club, teachers of ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala,’ and the city’s traders. Trading community and RWA colonies are major votebanks in Delhi.
Kejriwal has assured RWAs of providing some financial and political powers to become autonomous or ‘mini-councilors’ and promised to alleviate all issues faced by the traders because of “BJP’s corruption” in the MCD. Simplifying building by-laws and redeveloping 5 major markets were the other promises he made.
Voting in 250 MCD wards will take place on Sunday, and the results will be out on Wednesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Environment Minister Gopal Rai were busy in roadshows at Patparganj and Babarpur respectively on the last day of campaigning.
The two senior AAP leaders have attended 155-plus major ‘jan samvads’ (public meetings) along with other star campaigners including the likes of Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Gupta, Punjab Minister Harjot Bains throughout the campaigning period.
Garbage disposal and the ever increasing height of landfills in Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla were highlighted to depict the failure of BJP-led MCD. “The public entrusted BJP with only one task to keep Delhi clean, but in the past 15 years they could not do that,” Sisodia said at Patparganj.
Like the two senior ministers, AAP candidates from different wards also took out their own roadshows. Anil Mittal of Rohini C ward took out a cavalcade of cars and e-rickshaws replete with AAP’s flags and posters.
“Never have I seen so much money being spent on the poll campaigns for MCD. And where is it all coming from? It is from the taxpayers’ pockets…,” said Shiva, an autorickshaw driver stuck in a traffic jam because of the public rally at Rohini’s Ayodhya Chowk.
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Promises to traders
The traders’ event, held in West Delhi’s industrial area, which is also close to some of Delhi’s major markets, saw shopkeepers, women traders, businessmen, MSME representatives, owners of hotel restaurants and banquets turn up in large numbers.
Since these segments are seen as the voter base of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kejriwal focused on them on the last day of campaigning instead of his core supporters — slum dwellers and the poor.
“An amazing event. I have always seen everyone supporting the BJP. And being from a Baniya family, a business family, I have seen everyone supporting the BJP. But this time, I am sure Kejriwal is going to rock in Delhi,” said Kamakshi Jindal, founder of a platform that gives children opportunity to showcase their talent.
Jindal was accompanied by other women colleagues who are into lifestyle business like her. One such attendee, Shikha Aggarwal Sharma, founder of the Fat To Slim franchise, felt it was very important to give Kejriwal a chance this time because the “power needs to be balanced”.
“We are paying taxes, GST. But leaders think that all women want is washrooms in the market. It is good to have toilets but they should be for both men and women. …we have our other issues as well, which needs to be raised,” she said.
Unlike a conventional public address event, the gathering at a banquet hall served more of a feedback platform as the audience directly addressed Kejriwal about their issues ranging from bad conditions of markets that were discouraging the younger generation to continue their family’s business to MCD officials exploiting citizens for money.
Not only the CM heard their complaints and suggestions, he talked about the 10 guarantees that were drafted by the AAP’s trader wing after consulting the business community in Delhi. The AAP claims that these guarantees will benefit about 20 lakh businessmen.
“We will work along with all the trade associations to find solutions for the problems. We might give limited power or financial power to every market so that they don’t have to always be dependent upon their parishads or MLAs to get work done. All governments want to take power, look at us, we are giving up our power,” Kejriwal said, after he heard all the issues brought before him.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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