New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is not desperate to form the government in Delhi and will not cobble up an alliance if they fail to cross the half-way mark, said party candidate from Shakur Basti, SC Vats, days before the February 8 assembly elections.
In conversation with News18.com, Vats held the Aam Aadmi Party-led government for the lethal air pollution in Delhi and slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s flagship project — the Mohalla Clinics.
You won twice since 1998, but were defeated in 2008, 2013 and 2015. Did you ever consider contesting from any other seat?
I know this constituency ever since 1983 when the master plan of Road Number 43 was conceptualised for the first time. I lost following the delimitation of my constituency and the several topographical and demographical changes that resulted from it.
With major part of the population belonging to middle and lower-middle class in Shakur Basti, what are your development plans for them?
They would not like to buy the gimmicks like laptops, printers and air conditioners.
Porta cabins (Mohalla Clinics) cannot be termed as a hospital or super speciality hospital. Porta Cabin is a makeshift health regiment. All these porta cabins raised on public land, the DDA land these are all encroachments. The Delhi government have built these on the PWD land and if on one fine day the central government decides, they will be removed within no time. It’s a huge scandal.
In 2013 and 2015 Delhi assembly elections, AAP sitting MLA Satyendra Jain defeated you. What do you think will give you the edge this time?
This time it’s a straight fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Are you open to stitching alliances with other parties if the BJP is not able to cross the half way mark?
We will not ally with anybody to form a government. We are not so desperate to come into power. We will definitely get the majority but will not cobble with numbers and try to manage to form the government. We will like to have a long-lasting government.
It’s been two decades since the BJP came to power in Delhi. What makes you confident about the party this year?
The party has addressed almost every issue that concerns Delhi, such as the unauthorised colonies and Jhuggi cluster. The Prime Minister has already announced that 1,700 plus unauthorised colonies would be regularised. We have solved the problem of people living in “Jhuggis” by introducing the welfare scheme “Jaha Jhuggi Vahan Makkan”. These two things have turned the tables in favour of the BJP.
What do you think about the odd-even formula introduced by the AAP government?
Odd-even was an utter failure and was withdrawn within a period of 10 days. They didn't bring the pollution rate down. The air quality index remained the same.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing protests in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, given that CM Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have extended their support to them?
I see them as a huge obstruction for school-going children and office-goers. I don't think this is the way to protest and to express solidarity. This is something very shameful for the Delhi government.
Do you agree with the statements given by Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma in Shaheen Bagh?
I'm very much against any provocative statement from any quarter, either from my party or any other party. I'm not in favour of any provocative statement.
For how long will the party contest with Narendra Modi's face value? Who can be the BJP’s CM face in Delhi?
That should be left to the legislators. Once we have a majority in Delhi, all legislators will sit and decide.
If the BJP comes to power, what are those AAP-initiated policies that you would like to continue?
All these things will have to be continued for now. We are proposing after 200 units of free electricity, a subsidy on the subsequent of 200 units.
Don’t you think AAP’s policies have been supported by the middle class and lower middle class people?
People are certainly not happy. They are saying that they (AAP) are making us dependent. They (residents of Delhi) want to be self-reliant.
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