Two senior Congress leaders contesting from Delhi have gone on record saying they are in favour of full statehood for Delhi. Yet Choudhary Prem Singh, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) is opposed to it. He speaks to Gaurav C Sawant.Q: Both R.K. Dhawan and Meira Kumar have said they favour statehood.You oppose it. What is the party's official stand?
A: They are also All India Congress Committee general (AICC) secretaries. The DPCC stand is against complete statehood. That would mean added taxes and financial burden on the people. Secondly the Centre would also withdraw the subsidies that Delhi gets. Full statehood may be Dhawan and Kumar's personal opinion.
Q: What is the Delhi Congress strategy in the forthcoming elections?
A: We are trying to puncture holes in the BJP claims of good governance and then we will give our strategy. The BJP has failed to govern Delhi in the past four years. They have in fact ruined the city. Look at thepower, water and sanitation conditions. The state of roads and the chaotic traffic. The public transport system has failed. If we come to power we will change this all. And that is what we are trying to get across to people.
Q: Why are you and the party distributing the BJP manifesto?
A: This is a part of our strategy. In their manifesto the BJP has promised full statehood, development, less pollution, more facilities to the people, safety, development of the lower strata of the society. We want to tell the people that these are all false claims and the BJP could not and cannot do it.
Q: Why were Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and H.K.L. Bhagat denied a ticket?
A: You will agree that had they contested we would have surely won the three seats. And yet they were denied a ticket. This despite the fact that none of them have been pronounced guilty by any court. We have done this because we want to assuage the feelings of the Sikhs. The people feel that these men were involved inthe anti-Sikh riots and we represent the people.
Q: You were opposed to the Delhi government's plan of phasing out 15-year-old vehicles to check pollution. Why and what is the solution?
A: The Delhi government and the auto-manufacturers are a hand in glove. To boost auto sales the government tried to phase out old vehicles. That is no solution. Strict pollution tests, new spare parts and an efficient pollution control department is the solution. Not the corrupt officials who give clean certificates after accepting huge sums of money.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
