AAP shall win Punjab state polls convincingly: Arvind Kejriwal:
New Delhi: A repeat of Delhi's unprecedented mandate to Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab "won't surprise" him, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today and claimed that the party was on course to capture power in the state.
He said governing was not "rocket science" but one needs "space" to do so. Frequent interference "saps you badly", he said referring to the tussle between the AAP government and the Centre over areas of jurisdiction, among others.
"We are winning Punjab and winning convincingly. We have conducted a number of surveys and I won't be surprised if the Delhi results are repeated in Punjab. A (chief ministerial) face shall also be declared when time is ripe," he said. Punjab is slated to go to polls in 2017.
AAP has 67 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. He said there was "no substance" to reports of him handing over the Delhi CM's post his deputy Manish Sisodia in case of a victory in Punjab. "This is hust fear of the leaders of Punjab."
Responding to a question on whether AAP was in talks with former BJP MP and cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu to project him as the party's face in Punjab, Kejriwal replied in the negative.
"If Navjot Sidhu wants to join AAP then he is very much welcome. But as of now there have been no talks with him. We would welcome him if he comes to the party," he said.
Kejriwal was speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here and took a number of sharp jibes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latter's foreign trips, monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat' and salary.
On his relationship with the Centre, Kejriwal identified "constant interference" by the central government as his "only challenge" saying that some problems are political while some are constitutional.
With such a low salary, how would PM Modi face President Obama? asks Kejriwal:
"You need your space to be able to govern...In Sheila Dikshit's tenure no one sat over her head like a headmaster.
Some problems are political and some problems are constitutional," he said. Citing an example, he claimed that Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi declined his request to provide the details of beat constables and transfer policy of SHOs in the city.
"He (Bassi) declined saying that he is not answerable to me," Kejriwal said while holding the Delhi Police Act 1978 "unconstitutional".
Kejriwal, who holds no portfolio, said that he handles the politics of Delhi government and "foreign relations", in a tacit reference to the intermittent fights with the Union government over several issues.
"There are some people in the bureaucracy who are very good and efficient. We have given them freedom. They talk of interference by the previous governments," Kejriwal said.
Asked about his experience in government, he said there was "huge capacity deficiency" in governance and to fill in the void he was trying to involve experts.
"I am ashamed of the fact that people still have to knock on my door to get their child admitted in schools which should be a matter of right."
"All I want is freedom to take my decisions. I told the Prime Minister that I will fulfil his dreams of Swachh Bharat and Skill India among others. I don't even want credit for it.
PM Modi can take all the credit but he stays silent. Abroad who knows Kejriwal anyway?
"I have not even travelled anywhere after becoming the chief minister. But few people are travelling the world," Kejriwal said and added Patna and Bengaluru in the list of places he has visited after few in the audience pointed out.
He also took a dig at Modi saying the Prime Minister should get a salary hike when faced with questions over the AAP government's recent decision to increase the salaries and allowances of MLAs.
Kejriwal envisaged an embarassing situation for Modi when he encounters US President Barack Obama.
"Kal ko Obama miley toh kya bolenege...(if he meets Obama tomorrow, what will he say. It (PM's salary) should be at least 8-10 lakh," he said, remarks which he had made in the assembly yesterday as well.
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