We have a crystal clear stand on CAA & NRC: Amanatullah

AAP candidate and Okhla Constituency MLA Amanatullah Khan talked to Zafar Abbas of Millennium Post about the upcoming Delhi elections. He is up against Congress candidate Parvez Hashmi and BJP's Brahm Singh. Excerpts:

How serious you think is the Congress threat to your position in Okhla given the fact that Parvez Hashmi has never lost from the area?

Earlier, people had no option, Muslims used to vote for Congress to defeat BJP but now they have an option in the form of AAP. During Parvez Hashmi's time the building material was not allowed inside the locality, no construction was stopped in my tenure in the area. During his tenure boys were picked up on terrorism charges by police, when I became the MLA, no one was picked up. I think had Congress given ticket to Asif Mohammad Khan, he would have been more serious threat than Hashmi. During the CAA, NRC protests also Hashmi was seen nowhere.

Now Shaheen Bagh has become the epicentre of the anti-CAA protest across the country, what's your stand on this issue?

We have a crystal clear stand on CAA and NRC, we have opposed this both in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Being the PAC member, as Chairman of Waqf board and the area MLA I have been standing with the protesters right from day one. BJP is trying to polarise this issue but we know that this issue is not just confined to Muslims.

How would you approach the residents for the vote, I mean convince them?

Congress had been in Okhla for 23 years, AAP has been here for 5 years. I openly challenge people to calculate the work done. If their 23 years of work combined surpasses my five-year work, people can give them their vote. I have worked on water pipelines, sewers and roads in the area and have also got the treatment of approximately 19,500 poor patients done in Escorts and Apollo hospital under EWS category. Have also reformed Waqf board whose income now runs in crores. Even in Waqf Board, I have helped people irrespective of their religion. Delhi Waqf board too has become a model to follow.

So, do you still think there is some more work left to be done?

Yes, I am working on Shaheen Bagh and Abul Fazal water pipelines, we have an aim to cover the whole area with sewer. Removing high tension wires from the area is also in my priority list. Also, there are some areas in Zakir Nagar and Batla House where the drinking water has to be supplied. We also have a plan for starting a 318-bed hospital in the area within one year and have also planned to do something big for the education of children in my constituency.