Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who played a major role in the party’s thumping win in the Delhi Assembly elections as he headed the party’s manifesto committee, speaks to Alok KN Mishra about the government’s priorities and how it will fulfil its poll promises. Edited excerpts:
The BJP’s manifesto made several guarantees. How and when the government will fulfil those promises?
The government in its first cabinet meeting will consider and approve the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana which was not implemented by the Arvind Kejriwal government due to his cheap politics that had deprived people of the benefits of the highly successful scheme of the central government. Those above 70 years of age in Delhi will get free treatment up to ₹10 lakh, of which ₹5 lakh will be contributed by the Delhi government and ₹5 lakh by the Centre.
What about the ₹2,500 monthly allowance promised for women?
Disbursement of ₹2,500 monthly allowance to poor women will start before March 8, which is International Women’s Day. PM Narendra Modi had announced this during his last election rally in RK Puram.
AAP leaders claimed during election rallies that BJP will discontinue their free schemes.
The BJP government will continue to provide 200 units free electricity. It will also provide 20,000 liters of water for free every month to all, and free bus rides for women. The government will make necessary financial provisions in the next budget as well to continue all these schemes. PM Narendra Modi, home minister, BJP president JP Nadda have clarified that all the welfare schemes running in Delhi will be continued by the new government. They have said that the government will weed out corruption and make the welfare schemes even better.
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The AAP also claimed that the BJP will demolish slums when it comes to power.
PM Modi has clarified that not a single jhuggi will be demolished. The BJP government will provide pucca houses to slum dwellers under in-situ development programme (Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan). Delhi already has over 50,000 flats which will be renovated and will be given to the eligible slum dwellers.
Pollution in Yamuna became a big issue in the last leg of the election campaign. How will the BJP fulfil its promises of cleaning the river and making Delhi a clean city.
Home minister Amit Shah said while launching the manifesto that the Delhi government will get 13,000 e-buses. The government will start working on this as soon as it takes charge. It will reduce vehicular pollution. The government will pave 500 kilometres of roads and undertake road repairs on a war-footing to check dust pollution. In the first cabinet, a proposal will be put up to clean the Yamuna. The government will set up a Yamuna Kosh to revitalise the river, which has been neglected by AAP government for the past 10 years.
The government will launch the Delhi Clean Air Mission to halve the average AQI by 2030 and reduce the number of days with poor air quality by deploying road-sweeping machines in every assembly constituency and water-sprinkling machines in every municipal ward, among other measures.
The non-tabling of 14 CAG reports created a row before elections. What will the BJP government do about it?
As part of the BJP’s motto of zero tolerance against corruption, the government will table all CAG reports in the first session of the Delhi assembly. Action will also be taken against those responsible for the irregularities.
