Hardeep Singh Puri interview: ‘Delhi is going down under Kejriwal … AAP started amid an anti-corruption drive but now is the most corrupt’

What is the BJP’s imaginativeness for Delhi?

The important happening astir Delhi — portion you are talking astir Viksit Bharat — is for it to beryllium a befitting superior city. (Washington) D C looks similar the superior of a large system … If you look astatine London, it looks similar a capital. You cannot person the benignant of deprivation and squalor, the khaddas (potholes connected roads) that helium (Kejriwal) has produced here.

Have you travel crossed complaints astir the AAP’s governance?

People I person met are fed up with the information that their taps nutrient sewer h2o … People are fed up with energy bills. One idiosyncratic got a measure of Rs 2 lakh; it was a mendacious bill. Is determination a (power) metre manipulation going connected (in Delhi)? Some radical deliberation that helium (Kejriwal) is not funny successful providing cleanable h2o due to the fact that helium is mixed up with the tanker mafia … Water, electricity, the wellness system, It is each a disaster, corrupted to the core. Delhi’s colonisation is 2.5 crore, portion Uttar Pradesh’s colonisation is 20 crore. During the pandemic, helium (Kejriwal) was intent connected getting 3 times the magnitude of (liquid aesculapian oxygen) tankers UP had.

Whenever I person been to a mohalla clinic, the representation is of a wholly run-down (structure). Hardly anybody goes there. You are expected to beryllium the archetypal constituent of interaction successful a wellness system, but determination is farzi (fake) billing there. On education, wherefore does it instrumentality 5 times the magnitude of wealth to physique a classroom? He (Kejriwal) said helium would physique 500 schools … 30% of the kids (in Delhi authorities schools) bash not person a table oregon a seat to beryllium on. This is not my view; this is the people’s view.

What alternate is the BJP proposing?

We (the BJP) person demonstrated an alternative, the Modi improvement model. The full state is benefiting from the PM’s developmental agenda. We person gone from being the 10th largest system to the 5th largest. We volition soon beryllium the 3rd largest. GDP is going up but Delhi is going down. Anything you inquire of Kejriwal, helium blames the Lieutenant General.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yogender Chandolia and Bansuri Swaraj code a nationalist rally for BJP campaigner Dushyant Gautam up of the upcoming Assembly predetermination astatine Karol Bagh. (Express photograph by Abhinav Saha)

That is the occupation … He (Kejriwal) is an impediment to thing to bash with development. He opposes everything. His exemplary is sab kuch escaped kar do (make everything free). But marque them (the schemes) viable. He is simply a con creator who says thing and does thing wholly different.

How is Kejriwal “an impediment to development”?

When I was Housing and Urban Affairs minister, we gave 3,200 flats to citizens from the economically weaker conception of nine (in Kalkaji) … They are each full. But what did you (the AAP) do? Water proviso is nether your power, the Delhi Jal Board is nether you … You should springiness radical water. Someone successful your outfit (AAP) is mixed up with the h2o tanker mafia. You are dealing with a classical shoot-and-scoot person who comes to the radical precise consecutive and humble, precise humble, But erstwhile idiosyncratic shows them the mirror, they accidental unke rishtedaar to Rohingya hain (their relatives are Rohingyas) … He does not cognize the quality betwixt a exile and an amerciable infiltrator.

My erstwhile procreation came successful arsenic refugees aft Partition. They built their lives and lived successful exile camps … He (Kejriwal) abuses the Sikh community; the Purvanchalis …. He has besides alleged that transgression has accrued successful Delhi. When helium (Kejriwal) brings successful ghuspaithiye (infiltrators), this is what happens.

How bash you spot the canvass promises of parties successful the Delhi elections?

In Punjab, Kejriwal made a committedness of Rs 1,000 for eligible women beneficiaries, 36 months person passed and not a azygous rupee (has been distributed). The BJP’s lawsuit is different. Out of the 500 guarantees we gave, 499 person been completed. We talked astir lodging and home. There are 4 crore beneficiaries nether the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. After we were elected a 3rd time, we promised different 3 crore (under the scheme)…

When we accidental something, it is simply a guarantee. He (Kejriwal) takes recognition for flyovers. I got a database of these … Not 1 was built by him. Either they were built earlier 2014 oregon by the Central government. Look astatine the world-class infrastructure (constructed by the Centre). You person a caller Central Vista-Kartavya Path, a caller Parliament, the Bharat Mandapam. Who has built each that?

How bash you presumption the narration betwixt the AAP and the Congress? They are allies astatine the nationalist level but are contesting the Delhi elections separately.

He (Kejriwal) started his governmental startup by sitting connected the signifier with (anti-corruption activist) Anna Hazare ji. He went connected to accidental that helium would ne'er signifier a governmental enactment … A fantastic U-turn … The Congress said helium was a friend, and past helium said helium was a fraud. Even the Congress is saying so.

In your experience, not arsenic a person but arsenic a diplomat and a bureaucrat, you indispensable person seen a batch of countries with payment programmes. How bash you spot them successful examination to Delhi and India?

You cannot comparison models. In immoderate societies, if you are to bring successful the escaped marketplace without a dose of welfare, countries volition get destroyed. At the extremity of the day, you person to harvester welfarism, oregon a dose of welfarism, with productive economical maturation … The quality is betwixt giving idiosyncratic 300 units of energy escaped and past cheating them connected their (power) meters arsenic helium (Kejriwal) is doing.

The occupation is that Kejriwal thinks it is each short-term. Whereas the BJP has a bigger 1 (vision) … Take a look astatine the BJP’s policies for thoroughfare vendors … It is not similar we (the Centre) gave them escaped money. We gave them Rs. 10,000 to 20,000 arsenic a loan; their information got uploaded; and they moved retired of the informal sector… All of the BJP’s schemes are designed to bring radical into the ceremonial economy.