Ahead of the Assembly elections, the Delhi Congress got a shot in its arm with outgoing Independent MLA Rambir Shokeen and his wife Reeta, a municipal councillor, joining the party on Sunday.
Ahead of the Assembly elections, the Delhi Congress got a shot in its arm with outgoing Independent MLA Rambir Shokeen and his wife Reeta, a municipal councillor, joining the party on Sunday. The party also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ramlila Maidan rally, saying the presence of the leaders of the other states clearly showed that the saffron brigade does not have strong local leaders in the city.
Mr Shokeen had surprised one and all by getting 52,564 votes against BJP’s Azad Singh in Mundka in the last Assembly elections. While Mr Singh had secured 45,430 votes, AAP’s Krishna Kumar got 23,872 votes and Congress candidate Naresh Kumar had managed to secure only 19,157 votes.
Mr Shokeen was accorded warm welcome by Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely, party’s former legislative head Haroon Yusuf, former state unit chief Subhash Chopra, outgoing MLAs Jai Kishen and Shoaib Iqbal and senior local leader Chattar Singh.
Mr Shoaib Iqbal, his son and nephew, both councillors, had joined the Congress last month. A few days ago, five local BSP leaders Naresh Chand Rathore, Raviraj Yadav, Shamshuddin Saifi, Om Prakash Chautala and Prem Sharma, along with former national secretary of the BJP’s SC Morcha Mahendra Singh, who had later become coordinator of the AAP’s Balmiki Samaj, had also joined the Congress.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Lovely said that Mr Shokeen had joined the Congress only because he believed in the party’s secular ideology. Launching a scathing attack on Mr Modi’s rally, he said, “By bringing in leaders from other states clearly showed that the BJP does not have even a single strong local leader.”
Mr Lovely criticised Mr Modi for stating that his government was committed to provide uninterrupted power supply to Delhiites. “In our 15-year rule, we had provided uninterrupted power supply to the city. The city has been facing power crisis during the BJP rule only.”
Mr Lovely said the Congress-led government had started providing subsidised LED lights two years ago. “Now Modiji is saying his government will be providing LED lights to save power consumption is nothing new.”
The DPCC chief also criticised Mr Modi for “blackmailing” the Delhiites on the issue of drinking water. “Modiji is saying if the BJP government gets elected he will ask the Haryana CM to release water for Delhi from Munak canal. As the PM of this country, it is his duty to ensure Delhi gets its share of drinking water. Who is stopping him from telling the Haryana government to release water to Delhi ”
Mr Chopra said he was the first legislator in the country who had started building flats for the jhuggi dwellers in the city.
“In Kalkaji area, I got a scheme approved to built 8,064 flats for slumdwellers. Ours was the first government to clear the in-situ construction of multi-storey flats at a cost of '232 crore in Kalkaji. About 3,000 flats are already ready. Has Modiji built even a single flat for any jhuggi dweller in Gujarat ”
