'Misrule in MCDs will end within a year if voted to power'

Making a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs), Aam Aadmi Party national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the Corporations have failed to deliver their duties owing to rampant corruption by the ruling party leaders.

Appealing people to vote for the AAP this time, Kejriwal said that the Corporations have not delivered on a single work in the last 10 years, hence people should give mandate in favour of AAP.

"The misrule of BJP-ruled Corporations have forced people to reel under severe crisis as no work is being carried out. If the AAP is voted to power, it will end the decade-long misrule in a span of one year by ensuring better governance," said Kejriwal as he kicked off the MCD election campaign from North Delhi's Burari area.

Promising to abolish house tax for residential properties in the Capital, the Chief Minister said that the party has a single-point agenda to provide relief to the people of Delhi.

Earlier, the government had reduced the burden of Delhiites by supplying free water to every household and reducing electricity bills to half. Now, the party is mulling scraping of residential house tax.

"The AAP faced sharp criticism for its promise to provide free water and cheap electricity ahead of Assembly elections in 2013 and 2015. But the party successfully fulfilled its promise. Now, the same forces are again saying that the promise will not be fulfilled as MCDs have no power to abolish the tax. Here, I would request people not to pay heed to any false propaganda of these parties," he said.

Taking about the achievements of his government in the last two years, the Chief Minister said that it has ensured inclusive growth in a short span.

"We have not only reduced power tariff to half, but have ensured no hike during our tenure by the discoms. In water, we have given 20,000 litres of free water every month to nearly 12.5 lakh households, have waived off arrears besides reducing installation charges. Even after the freebies, Delhi Jal Board has recorded profit of a whopping Rs 172 crores" the CM said.

"In education sector, we have achieved unprecedented results. We have completely stopped private schools from raising fees without the government's go-ahead and forced the school authorities to return earlier hiked fees. We have ensured world-class facilities in government schools and have made thousands of rooms in schools.

"We have brought revolutions in the health sector by ensuring medical facilities to the lowest strata. With the setting up hundreds of Mohalla clinics, polyclinics and other health centres, the government has ensured free medical treatment for all. We have also reduced the waiting period in government hospitals and have decided to bear costs of private hospitals in emergency admit," he said.

Kejriwal also appealed to the people to give AAP a 2015 Delhi Assembly election-like mandate in the civic polls too, so that the rates of electricity and water are not increased.

"A senior BJP leader told me that if Congress or BJP comes to power in Municipal Corporations, the Power and Water departments of the Delhi government will be transferred to the corporations as was before 1998. This is being done to increase the rates of electricity and water in Delhi,"he added.