Ready to back any party except BJP that supports full statehood for Delhi: Kejriwal
New Delhi, May 11: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said post-elections they would be ready to back any party, except the BJP, that supports full statehood for the national capital.
The AAP national convenor, in an interview to PTI, said their only aim is to stop the Modi-Shah duo from coming back to power and for that they will support any party.
"We will support those who grant full statehood to Delhi. Our only aim is to stop the Modi-Shah duo from coming back to power. We have absolutely no problem with whoever comes at the Centre," Kejriwal said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made the demand of full statehood for Delhi its poll plank. The party says that a slew of issues, including expansion of health and education infrastructure, remains unresolved as it does not lie in the hands of the Delhi government.
Kejriwal claimed that people are "extremely happy" with the work of the AAP in Delhi, especially in the fields of education, health, water, electricity, road, sewage.
"But the people of Delhi are also seeing how hurdles are being created in the work of the Delhi government because it is not a full state. People this time will vote to remove those hurdles from the path of the Delhi government," he said.
The chief minister said once the demand of full statehood is realised, it would help in fast-tracking development works in the national capital.
If Delhi gets full statehood, the city government would be able to deliver a thousand times more than what it has done till now, he claimed.
Kejriwal alleged that the BJP MPs are not "loyal" to the people of Delhi.
"People in Delhi should think that if all the seven candidates of the BJP win then they will not be loyal to the people of the national capital. If tomorrow, metro fare rises your BJP MPs cannot raise their voices, they cannot raise their voice against sealing. AAP is Delhi's party so if something happens to the people of Delhi then AAP will raise voice for the rights of people in Parliament," he said.
Kejriwal said the voice against the Centre's "wrong" policies could be raised only when Delhi MPs are from a different party than those in power in the Centre.
People of Delhi would benefit more by electing AAP candidates as they can raise issues faced by city residents in Parliament more effectively than the national parties like the BJP and the Congress, he said.
The chief minister claimed there is a "very strong" anti-incumbency against the BJP in Delhi as its MPs did nothing for the people here.
The BJP had won all the Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2014 general elections.
Giving individual examples, Kejriwal said there is a lot of "negativity" against incumbent BJP MP from New Delhi Meenakshi Lekhi, who, he claimed has done nothing for the constituency.
"She insulted the people of her constituency so people want to defeat her," he said.
About Delhi BJP chief and its North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, Kejriwal said, "He has done nothing except dancing and singing in the last four years."
The works of Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma, who is an MP from West Delhi, is also being questioned by the people of his constituency, he claimed, adding that in South Delhi people are "tired of hooliganism" of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
The AAP national convener claimed that BJP candidate from North West Delhi seat Hansraj Hans would lose comprehensively.
Appealing to the people to vote for ending the "obstructions created by the BJP-led central government", Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not delivering any of the promises made by him in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
"Modiji cannot say I built schools, hospitals, brought down electricity tariff, ensured drinking water supply. He failed in every sector. He has not delivered anything," he alleged.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
