Asserting that their job is to change hearts and make the initiative successful, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday warned volunteers, who will be deployed for the odd-even scheme, against “arguing or misbehaving” with people. He stressed that “gandhigiri” has a lot of power and said that the NCC, NSS and civil defence cadets should resort to tactics such as handing over flowers to the violators to persuade them to follow the scheme.
Addressing a gathering of volunteers at Chhatrasal Stadium, Mr Kejriwal said that the responsibility to make the odd-even initiative successful rests on their shoulders and they should focus on making it a “people’s movement”. “Yo-ur job is to change the hea-rts of the people. Everyone in Delhi needs to understand that it’s their own movement. They do not ne-ed to follow it because Kej-riwal and his government is strict, but they need to follow it because it’s a question of their life, their children’s lives,” he said.
Mr Kejriwal said the scheme won’t meet success merely by issuing challans and unless the people of Delhi resolve that it’s their own movement, “we cannot implement it”. The idea, Mr Kejriwal said, was to persuade people to keep their cars off the roads by adopting methods that would “stir their conscience”. “You will have to change the hearts of people. You don’t have to issue challans or argue or misbehave with anyone. You will hold placards at red lights and on spotting a violator, you will give him a flower and urge him to go back home,” he said, adding that 5,700 civil defence volunteers will be the part of the scheme to assist the Delhi police and the government authorities to ensure smooth traffic flow.
Exuding confidence that his government’s ambitious scheme to curb pollution in the city will be successful, Mr Kejriwal said that the city was ready for its implementation and the people who made history by giving his party a sweeping mandate can also make their city pollution free by following the initiative.
“I am confident that on January 15 we will be celebrating the success of the scheme. We have exempted the VIPs from the scheme but my ministers and me will follow it. Even the Chief Justice of India has offered his support to it,” he said.
