Well, it’s time for the final showdown!
Source- Google images
All the political parties seem to have geared up for the campaigning during the last but the most crucial days before the Delhi Legislative Assembly Election which will be held on February 7, 2015. When I logged in on Facebook today, all I could see was the news about the ‘Hawala Funding’. Did that happen with you too? The Aam Admi Party has been accused of false funding which led to a controversy of over two crores which the party received as donation from unknown evasive sources. Just when this news was on fire, AVAM (AAP Volunteer Action Manch which is no longer a part of AAP) alleged that on April 5, 2014 the Aam Admi Party had received a sum of Rs 50 lakhs from four different false companies. The report states how two out of the four companies which are the Skyline Metals and Alloy and the Sunvision Agencies Private Limited have no plausible business activity, where their address stated, is also wrong. Well, there’s another side to the story. Ever wondered why such controversies only arise during the time of elections? The number of controversies and allegations are directly proportional to the number of days left for the elections!
Source- ndtv.com
Why didn’t AVAM make the ‘false funding’ news public earlier rather than waiting till yesterday (almost one year)? An inside source informed us about how the AVAM wing was separated from the Aam Admi Party after the disciplinary committee found out about its plans to hack into Aam Admi Party’s database since it was being ‘funded’ by Bhartiya Janta Party. Does this make things a little clear now? Kejriwal on clearing the accusations against his political party stated how the Aam Admi Party accepts funds through cheques and hence does not check the balance sheet of any donor. He further asked the media to question the Bhartiya Janta Party on their funding of Rs 2500 crores from an unknown source. He calmly stated, “Punish me if I am wrong.” The Aam Admi Party has written to the Supreme Court of India requesting it to set up a Special Investigation Team to look into the matter of donations and funding of the three major political parties (AAP/ BJP/ INC) in Delhi.
Source- Aam Admi Party’s official Facebook page.
We all know that Mr. Narendra Modi has been the ‘face’ of the Bhartiya Janta Party elections in the country till date and the same case was seen in Delhi. The party’s strategy is to campaign for the Delhi Election by involving all its senior leaders in the battlefield against the other political parties. We can only wait and see if that proves to be of any help or not!
Modi in his rallies over the weekend laid emphasis on voting for a ‘stable’ government and we all know what he meant by that. He stated how the Indian National Congress wasted 15 years of Delhi and AAP wasted another year, indirectly attacking the two political parties. He focused on how people’s dreams were his dreams and also highlighted the ‘Jan Dhan Yojana’ which aims at helping the Dalits and Adivasis. Other highlights were the bank accounts which make money transfer easier and direct rather than poor people falling prey to middlemen along with the aim of replacing the slum dwellings with permanent houses.
Source- Google images
Instead of releasing a manifesto for the Delhi Assembly Election, the Bhartiya Janta Party tried to do something different and released a Vision Document 2050. If the speculations are to be believed then the party’s manifesto got stuck because of the different opinions on the demand of statehood for Delhi. Kiran Bedi’s plans for Delhi have already been shared by her on the social media as “Kiran’s blueprint”.
Source- Google images
The party members during the Vision Document 2050 release.
The highlights of the Vision Document:
- Twenty four hour supply of electricity and water (Like that’s even possible?).
It is the same party which once mocked the Aam Admi Party when it made the same promise. - To make Delhi a world class city.
That sounds interesting since we’re already number one in being the rape capital! - A corruption free government.
Okay! If that’s true then where do the scams, controversies and criminal allegations go? - To lay major focus on women’s safety. Well, this issue is the core issue which has also been raised by other political parties. Bedi discussed how she plans to set up “students’ police” in order to punish people who indulge in eve teasing ‘if’ the Bhartiya Janta Party comes to power. We have been trapped in these ‘if’s and but’s for ages!
- To schedule a “Dil ki Baat” programme in line with Modi’s “Mann ki Baat”.
- To make the youth work along with the police officials and understand the basic functions of how the police stations work.
- Other major aim is to initiate literary campaigns in slums.
Source- Hindustan Times
Things did not go as smooth as the Bhartiya Janta Party expected them to and the party landed into another controversy. Page number 14 of the Vision document 2050 states that it will protect “North Eastern immigrants” by setting up special cells in the police stations. A few sentences later the vision document refers to “North Eastern migrants”. Ajay Maken who is leading the Congress Election Campaign stated, “People from North East are citizens, not immigrants… the Bhartiya Janta Party must apologize.” The Bhartiya Janta Party came forward and announced that describing the North Easterners as immigrants was a printing error and nothing more.
Arvind Kejriwal two days back alleged “massive tampering” of the Electronic Voting Machines in order to favour the Bhartiya Janta Party after he inspected the Electronic Voting Machines in the Cantonment area in Delhi. He tweeted, “Large scale EVM tampering? Yest during inspection of EVM’s in Del Cant, in 4 machines, whatever button u pressed, light against BJP lit (sic).”
Source- Google images
What the Aam Admi Party’s Manifesto promises?
Kejriwal during a press release of the manifesto stated, “It is holy to us” and a lot of hard work has gone into it.
- Jan Lokpal Bill: The Aam Admi Party has not yet swayed from their promise to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill and seems determined to do so if they come to power. Hope it lives upto its promises ‘if’ it comes to power and not resign because of it!
- A 50% decrease in the electricity bills, a supply of 700 litres of free water on a daily basis and a sewage and solid management plant to be set up for each locality. That’s a lot of promises together, don’t you think?
- Education system: The party aims to open 500 new schools and 20 new colleges. It also aims at the no ‘give and take’ policy in the Nursery and Kindergarten admissions. I wish someone paid attention to work on and improve the ones which already exist in Delhi!
- The party plans to give Delhi the status of a complete statehood which will eventually lead to the power transfer from the central government in the hands of the state government.
- Women’s Safety and Rights: It plans to work on improving the street lighting, better facilities of the CCTVs in the public areas and the DTC buses. The major works needs to be done on the Women Security Force.
- Free Wi-Fi for all? Everyman’s dream. :’)
Source- Google images
Source- Google images - Health Sector: The facility of free ambulances and a 24 hour helpline number for the Delhi residents is the major aim for the Aam Admi Party. Do these helpline numbers ever work? (Just inquiring)
- The need for Swaraj is what the party has always promoted and plans to continue doing so in the long run.
Source- Google images
The Aam Admi Party however did not set any deadline to fulfill all the promises they have made (Even those-{the other political parties} who do set deadlines never live upto them) Smart move indeed!
We request all our readers to go and vote on February 7, 2015.
Let us all pledge to vote for a ‘change’ this time.
