Why Delhi was not given statehood when BJP was in power: DPCC chie

New Delhi, Nov 19 (UNI) Charging the Bharatiya Janata Party with stoking the Statehood issue to derive political mileage before assembly polls in Delhi, DPCC president Jai Prakash Agarwal asked why Delhi was not given full Statehood when the BJP was in power at the Centre, Delhi and the MCD.

Addressing reporters here, Mr Agarwal said the BJP completely forgot about giving full Statehood to Delhi then but started raking up the issue once out of power to show its double-standards.

Wondering who prevented the BJP from giving full Statehood to Delhi when it was in power, Mr Agarwal said now that the BJP was fighting a losing battle for the Delhi Assembly election-2008, the communal party was stoking the Statehood issue to derive political capital and to misguide the voters.

Mr Agarwal said the Delhi Government had no control over the Delhi Police and the Delhi Development Authority(DDA), which are under the Central government, while the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, ruled by the BJP, controls the local administration.

He said if these three agencies worked in a co-ordinated manner, there would be integrated development in the capital.

Mr Agarwal said the Congress manifesto had made it known that special status would be granted to Delhi, and Delhi Police and the DDA would be brought under the control of the Delhi government.

He said during the ten-year-rule of the Congress in the the capital, the party got a deep understanding of the problems being faced by the people of Delhi, and that was why the Congress was only talking about the problems faced by the people, and proper remedies to solve them, instead of making hollow claims and promises.

Stating that the Congress did not lie to the people and did not confuse them to get votes, Mr Agarwal said the Congress talked only about practical problems which could be solved satisfactorily.

He said the BJP was making tall claims and spreading false rumours to confuse the voters, which would not fetch it any return.

Mr Agarwal said it was the Congress which got 1,639 unauthorised colonies regularised, and provided provisional certificates to the residents of these colonies.

He said the Congress government would be spending around Rs 3000 crore for the development of the unauthorised colonies, including provision of proper civic amenities.

He said the Congress was keen to provide a roof over the roofless, and not for making them houseless. ''If the BJP has its way, it will render the over 50 lakh people living in the unauthorised colonies roofless.'' UNI AR GT KN2101