HIGHLIGHTS
- Delhi Assembly passes resolution calling for full statehood
- Kejriwal says if centre meets demand, will campaign for BJP in 2019
- AAP has no power in key areas, complains of obstruction from centre
NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal today promised the unthinkable at the Delhi assembly. If Delhi is granted full statehood, the Chief Minister declared, his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would campaign for the BJP in the 2019 national election.
“I want to tell BJP that if before 2019 Elections, Delhi is granted statehood, we’ll make sure that each and every vote from Delhi goes in your favour, we’ll campaign for you. If you don’t do so Delhi residents will put up boards saying ‘BJP leave Delhi’,” Mr Kejriwal said.
The offer comes in the middle of buzz that AAP and the Congress are considering an alliance in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab for next year’s polls. The two parties were “in touch”, according to a recent tweet by an AAP leader, but officially, there has been no such confirmation from either party.
He was speaking in the house during a special session on the demand for statehood. The session was scheduled to end on Friday, but was extended to Monday.
The AAP-dominated house also passed a resolution on full statehood to Delhi.
At present, Delhi has only partial statehood, which means important subjects like land, law and order and police still remain under the centre.
The Lieutenant Governor represents the centre in Delhi and has therefore been an adversary of the AAP government from the jump.
Prasanta Patnaik