The 24-page document, brought out in lieu of a manifesto, mentions the party's plan to setup a 24-hour helpline for people from the Northeast under the headline, 'North Eastern Immigrants to be Protected'. The reference caused a stir, with Congress seeking an "apology and immediate withdrawal of the word in national interest".
"It is extremely insensitive for BJP to call them immigrants in their own country," said an AAP spokesperson.
BJP quickly issued a clarification, saying it was a typographical error. "We regret that in the English translation a wrong word was used. The document in Hindi doesn't have such error," Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said.
Senior BJP members avoided questions on the decision to drop the demand for full statehood, which the party had promised in its Delhi-specific manifesto during last year's Lok Sabha elections.
The statehood issue has topped the BJP's agenda for over two decades. Sources say, several senior city BJP members are unhappy with party's decision to drop the issue, as it has been central to party's politics in Delhi. It was BJP which had first raised the issue of full statehood in the 1990s.
"The issue requires a lot of discussion and we don't want to promise anything which we can't deliver,'' said a senior BJP member. Both Congress and AAP have promised full statehood in their manifestoes.
The party has promised to scrap the "infamous" BRT corridor which was conceived by the Congress-led Delhi government. Recently, a high-powered committee setup by the Union urban development ministry to look into ways to decongest Delhi, had recommended construction of five BRT corridors in Delhi, including one in East Delhi, on the lines of the BRT corridor in Ahmedabad. The vision document, however, steered clear of the issue of more such corridors.
In a major shift from its promise last year on reducing electricity tariff by 30%, the party has left it vague this time. The vision document does not give any figure, merely saying there will be "significant reduction in the rates of electricity by means of competition amongst power companies". While the 49-day AAP government had ordered an audit of discoms by CAG, BJP now has promised such an audit.
On the issue of unauthorized colonies, the party has said that the layout charges will be paid by the Delhi government. But the document is silent on the key issue of what will be the criteria for payment of development charges, which at present is very steep.
http://ift.tt/1zFSspi Eastern Immigrants
Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.
No comments:
Post a Comment