Will make Delhi world's safest city when it attains full statehood: CM

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he will ensure that the national capital will become the safest city in the world when it gets full statehood.

"There is such a structure in Delhi wherein we must take permission from the central government to implement any plans or actions... This is not the case for other states.... This is a serious injustice against the people of Delhi... When and if any mishap takes place in your family, you naturally go to the Delhi Police, but they don't listen. You then go to your elected representative, your MLA but he has no authority over the police. You go to your Chief Minister, he too is helpless," Kejriwal said while addressing a public gathering at Sultanpuri Majra in North West Delhi.

"The Delhi Police comes under the Prime Minister, but can we expect him to concern himself with the problems of people of Delhi? When Delhi attains full statehood, we would reform the system such that nobody would dare trouble any girl at any time," he said.

Later, he added, "When we came to power, government schools and hospitals were in a terrible condition. Since then we have transformed them. We will do the same to law and order situation in Delhi so that Delhi will become the safest city in the world."

Accusing the Centre of creating "hurdles" for Delhi's development, the AAP leader and the Delhi Chief Minister alleged that he faced several obstructions at various stages to get clearances from the central government.

He said the people of Delhi pay Rs. 1.5 lakh crore worth Income Tax and receive only Rs. 325 crore from the Centre.

"Why should we pay so much and get so less in return? What have Delhiites done to the central government to deserve this? The situation is similar to the time before India got independence.

"First Britishers looted us, now the central government is looting us," the chief minister said.

"Just for political enmity, PM Modi stopped the development work for the common man of Delhi. Last time you voted for him, but this time do not vote for him, otherwise he would not let me work for development," he added.

He also claimed that if the city-state gets full statehood, he would "build a model city in which everyone would have their own flat and the national capital would be an example for the whole world".

"The real Delhi resides beyond the ring road, the real Delhi is in small lanes where there were no proper roads earlier," he said.