Delhi’s deputy CM Manish Sisodia rules out an opposition alliance, says there is no party which has ideas and vision similar to AAP
Buoyed by its recent victory in the Bawana assembly bypoll in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced its plan to contest the upcoming Gujarat elections. In an interview with Associate Editor Kumar Anshuman, deputy CM Manish Sisodia speaks about a range of issues, including the current political situation in the country and safety of children in the wake of the Ryan International School incident in Gurugram. Excerpts:
After the Punjab elections, the AAP had raised questions about credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs). What is your position on EVMs, especially after your victory in the Bawana bypoll?
We are not questioning the use of EVMs. We have been demanding that only EVMs with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) be used. VVPAT machines were used in the Bawana bypoll and you saw the results. Had it been used in the civic polls in Delhi, the results would have been different.
Of late, the AAP has not been as aggressive as it used to be in attacking the opposition. Is it part of your strategy?
I don’t think we have lost the aggression. There is no change in strategy at all.
Kumar Vishwas, one of AAP founders, had differences with Arvind Kejriwal and you. Have they been resolved?
There could be a difference of opinion in a party. Our objectives and goals are very clear. And everyone is free to work for the party, according to his/her wishes.
AAP supported former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in the presidential election. Does it indicate that you would join the opposition alliance in the future?
We supported Meira Kumar because we found her a better candidate than others. More than an alliance of different political parties, we believe in the alliance of ideas. There is no other party, which has ideas and vision similar to us. Even the parties that tend to form an alliance against the BJP have different ideas. So, as of now, we have not thought of an alliance.
You have decided to contest the assembly elections in Gujarat. The Congress believes it will divide anti-BJP votes. What do you say?
There is a need to bring in a new government in Gujarat. We are a small party and relatively new in the political field. If the Congress thinks it has a vision better than us, people of this country should support it. And why only the Congress, any party that can work on improving the basic amenities like health and education should win the elections.
After Nitish Kumar won the Bihar elections with the support of the grand alliance, Kejriwal attended his swearing-in ceremony in Patna. Now, Nitish is supporting the BJP. What is your stand now?
This is a very unfortunate development for India’s politics. Nitish-ji was considered to be someone with a different voice. He was working for the development of the state with a zero-tolerance policy on corruption. I don’t know under what compulsions he joined hands with the BJP. But whatever has happened is not encouraging at all.
After the Ryan School incident in Gurugram, you issued an order for installation of CCTV cameras in all schools in Delhi. Did you set any deadline for this?
It is difficult to set a deadline at this juncture. You will have to see the availability of CCTV cameras; then tenders will be floated and all this would take time. However, to start with, we have asked all schools to get their staff verified by police within 15 days. I have spoken to the Delhi Police and the verification would be completed within the stipulated time.
AAP had promised to build a number of schools in Delhi. But there is little progress on this front.
We have added 8,000 new classrooms to existing schools and are planning to add 10,000 more. We will also identify five “schools of excellence” next year, which would be in line with the Navoday Vidyalayas, equipped with modern infrastructure and technology.
He is thinking about development of Bihar. You think about India politics and world politics and bringing dinasoure back to planet. Instead of thinking about aam aadmi your leader thinks more about Narendra modi and India politics. “Tu kam na kar bas fikr kar or fikr ka zikr kar” these are apt for you. Instead of thinking about India if you think about mohalla we would have been better off.