In his first roadshow in the capital for the general elections, Delhi chief minister and the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday, pitched for full statehood for Delhi in the city’s unauthorised colonies, slums and several Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency.

“Has any political party brought such good education and healthcare facilities to Delhi? Not even close to what the AAP has done. But we could have done much better if the BJP-led Centre had not interfered in Delhi’s administration this way,” Kejriwal said at the beginning of the roadshow in Lal Bagh.

He said, “You give us all seven seats in Delhi and we will see how Modiji dares to stop files related to schemes and projects for the welfare of Delhi people.”

Hundreds of people participated in the roadshow that started at Lal Bagh in Model Town and ended at the Jama Masjid, a distance of around 12 kilometres.

Kejriwal’s entourage, which comprised several SUVs, open jeeps and vehicles carrying sound boxes, passed through Wazirpur, Baraf Khana, Hauz Qazi Chowk and Turkman Gate. It intermittently made stops, in which a few vehicles from the entourage went into the narrow lanes of slums and congested neighbourhoods, where Kejriwal addressed people from the back of an open jeep.

At Wazirpur, Kejriwal kept his pitch on statehood intact but emphasised on the work the AAP government has done for slum residents in Delhi. He cited examples of water pipelines, sewer system and a rehabilitation plan which, he said, is currently stuck due to the Centre- AAP tussle.

Around the time when the roadshow was about to start, a violent fight took place among residents in Lal Bagh over the distribution of brooms by AAP party workers.

“Jhadoo ke samarthen me aye hain. Ab jhadoo baat rahe hai toh kyu nahi lene jae (we came here in support of the broom. Now that they are distributing brooms, why can’t I take one?),” said a disappointed Kumkum Devi (33), a resident of Lal Bagh, who owns a cigarette kiosk in the area, who failed to get one.

First Published: May 02, 2019 06:11 IST