AAP releases manifesto, promises full statehood for Delhi

New Delhi, January 31

Wooing all sections in a bid to return to power, the AAP on Saturday made a host of promises in its manifesto like 24X7 “affordable” power supply, free Wi-Fi across the city, installation of at least 10 lakh CCTV cameras for women security, making water a legal right and slashing VAT significantly.

Releasing the manifesto, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said the document is not just another electoral document but the party’s “Geeta, Bible, Quran and Guru Granth Sahib”, which it will implement point-by-point if voted to power.

“We want a Delhi where everyone will be proud of calling himself or herself its resident. Where every class grows equally, irrespective of caste or religion,” Kejriwal said, adding that the manifesto is a product of four months of “intense research”.

Among the significant announcements in the manifesto, the party promised to push for Delhi’s statehood and bring down the VAT charges in Delhi to the lowest level among all states and Union Territories within five years.

In order to ensure women security, the party promised to install 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras all over the city along with ensuring a security guard in every bus.

“If 15,000 CCTV cameras can be installed for Barack Obama, why can’t the same be done for our mothers and sisters? We will install 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras along with putting a security guard in every bus,” the former Chief Minister said.

He said the existing Home Guards will be deployed in this respect and their employment will no longer be contractual.

He said free Wi-Fi was a “basic necessity” in today’s times and the party will make sure that every citizen can connect to the Internet wherever they are.

The manifesto said the party will not allow FDI in retail in Delhi.

The manifesto also reiterates the party’s long-standing promise of slashing power tariff by half till the audit of private discoms.

“We will slash the power tariff by half. After that we will ensure a rigorous audit of the private discoms which have had a free run till now,” Kejriwal said, adding that water availability will be made a “legal right”.

In the field of education, the party said apart from opening 500 new schools and 20 new colleges, it will launch a Higher Education Guarantee Scheme enabling students to avail loan from banks without having the need to furnish any collateral by making the government a guarantor.

The party’s manifesto also promises to create 900 new Primary Health Centres and to increase the number of government hospital beds by 30,000.

To ensure “speedy justice” for victims of sexual assault, the party will operationalise 47 fast-track courts, if voted to power.

Holding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as one of the “lowest points” in history of Delhi, the party said it will notify an SIT to “reinvestigate” the killings.

The party also resolved to legislate the Jan Lokpal Bill to ensure time-bound investigation in matters of corruption.

Legislating the Swaraj Bill is also on the party’s agenda with an aim to “devolve” power directly to the people.

The party said that it will regularise unauthorised colonies within “one year” of coming to power. Before that as an “immediate measure” it will provide registration rights to the residents of those colonies paving the way for electricity and sewer lines.

To confer freehold rights to residents of resettlement colonies, the party manifesto proposes a simplified mechanism wherein original allottees will receive ownership of their plots for Rs 10,000.

Kejriwal also took a dig at BJP for not coming out with a manifesto, saying the saffron party did not have an agenda for the capital.

“BJP could not even bring out its manifesto which shows the party has no agenda for Delhi. Or may be they are ashamed that they could not finish a single task as promised during the Lok Sabha polls,” he said. — PTI