No new taxes, hikes in BJP's manifesto

With the promise of not levying any new municipal tax and to work for justice, service and development for the citizens, the BJP on Sunday released its Sankalp Patra (manifesto) for the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections in Delhi.

It said it would provide adequate assistance to NGOs running Gaushalas (cowsheds) in the city for fodder, treatment of diseases and cow protection, and also work towards popularising non-meat cow products.

The BJP also promised to promote solar lights at slum clusters through 'Surya Jyoti Yojna'.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari released the manifesto, along with senior party leaders including Union ministers Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel.

"The Sankalp Patra embodies Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and the views of party president Amit Shah. We are committed to work for a Delhi of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dreams after winning the corporation elections," Tiwari said.

The party promised that no new tax will be levied or rates hiked if it is voted to power. This comes in the backdrop of the Aam Aadmi Party's allegation that power and water tariffs will go up if the BJP wins the MCD polls. "Kejriwal is trying to scare the people. We will neither levy any new tax nor hike rates, nor allow anyone else to do it. We will strongly resist any such move," said Tiwari.

A scheme - the Deendayal Antyodaya Rasoi Yojana – will be launched and the civic bodies will provide meals priced at Rs 10, he added.

The exemption from getting building plans approved for plots measuring up to 105 square metres will now be extended to plots measuring up to 500 square metres, Tiwari said. He added the BJP will work for direct transfer of funds from the Centre to the Municipal Corporations.

Over the last two years, the BJP-ruled civic bodies and the AAP government had been engaged in a war of words over transfer of funds amid strikes by sanitation workers in east Delhi.

"The Delhi government has an annual budget of Rs 48,000 crore in which, the civic bodies have a share of Rs 9,000 crore. But, they received only Rs 2,800 crore. We will force the government to release the dues," said Tiwari.

Taking a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his allegations of corruption and non-performance in the civic bodies, he said, "He (Kejriwal) should sit in the parks of MCD and his cough, for which he goes to Bengaluru, will be cured."

The manifesto promised a "transparent and corruption- free" rule. It also promised to regularise the temporary sanitation workers, digitalisation of citizen services, putting pressure on the Delhi government for regularisation of unauthorised colonies.

It also promised a Rs 10 lakh insurance cover for the students in the MCD schools, health cards for citizens, open gymnasiums, scrapping factory licences, promoting enterprises run by women under the Centre's Startup India scheme, special arrangements to address the problems faced by the people of north-east in the city.

It also promised autorickshaw and taxi stands with restrooms for drivers and issuance of licences to hawkers and street vendors under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.