BJP’s star campaigners hold rallies at 3 Delhi seats

Star campaigners registered with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held rallies at three parliamentary seats in the Capital, underlining the infrastructure push undertaken by the party-led central government over the last decade, and promising that the Narendra Modi government, if elected to power for a third time, will ensure that it will work towards making Delhi among the first five global cities.

On Wednesday, Union minister Nitiin Gatkari held a public meeting in Shastri Nagar, which falls under the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, Rajasthan minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore held a roadshow in Kalyanpuri (East Delhi), while Khattar was canvassing for the North East Delhi candidate Manoj Tiwari in Burari.

Speaking in Shastri Nagar, Gadkari said the Centre has carried out more work in the Capital over the last decade than was executed under previous regimes over the last six decades. He said that projects worth ₹30,000 crore have been executed, and in coming years, many new ones, including expressways, tunnels, amphibious plane services and electric cable bus services, would be added.

“My departments alone have approved projects worth ₹1.1 lakh crore. No other government has provided these many funds to Delhi... Elect the seven MPs from Delhi and help us form a majority government and we will ensure that Delhi is counted among top five cities across world, not only India,” Gadkari said.

The minister said that the government is working towards solving the city’s problems related to air, water pollution and traffic congestion.

Gadakari said that his ministry has cleared highways and road projects worth ₹65,000 crore to improve road connectivity of Delhi, and as a water resources minister, he approved another ₹6000 crore for reducing the pollution levels in Yamuna by building treatment plants. “Our central government has removed the roadblocks for four dam projects that will provide water for Delhi and would cost another ₹35000-40,000 crore. In total, we are providing ₹1.1 lakh crore and I have come to account for all these projects,” the minister said.

Gadkari said that in coming days the government is also working towards provided electric trolley cable bus connectivity between Delhi and Jaipur.

“Trolley bus with three coaches will move at 120km per hour speed and provide airplane like services connecting the two cities with commuting time of 2.26 hrs while keeping the fares to be 30% less than the diesel buses,” he added.

He also promised that an amphibious plane service would be started from Yamuna on lines of similar service in Mumbai and Gujarat.

The minister said the central government is also planning to develop wholesale markets at the peripheral road of the city. “Containers come to Delhi, causing traffic jams. At the location where the peripheral road meets railway lines, we will develop multimodal logistic hubs so that these shipping containers do not reach inside the city,” he said.

Gadkari said that many expressway projects will be completed in next seven months. “Delhi did not have a peripheral ring road and dispute over funding was taking place. We completed the project at a cost of Rs12000 crore... By December, the Delhi to Katra highway will be ready, and people would be able to reach Amritsar in four hours and Srinagar in eight hours,” he said.

He said that the Delhi to Dehradun highway would reduce the travel time to 2 hrs and to Haridwar in 1.5 hrs by December. The minister said that Delhi Mumbai expressway would be ready by December reducing the commuting time from 48hrs to 12 hrs. “Delhi Jaipur highway would be ready by October and you would be able to reach there in 2.25hrs,’ he added

The minister added that the tunnel connecting T3 tunnel would be ready in next two months connecting Dwarka expressway. “ A new Delhi is being set up along Dwarka expressway with lakhs of flats being set up. People of Delhi are moving there and a new area has been made available for Delhi’s development,” he added. The minister claimed that the face of Delhi is being changed.

In Burari, BJP workers held their first jansabha (people’s council) with Khattar and Tiwari. Addressing the event, Khattar said promised better roads, employment and housing schemes for the people, while criticizing both the AAP and the Congress.

“They are all criminals. Why do you want to support such people? They are being caught for corruption... I think of Haryana and Delhi as one. Vote for Modi ji. Not for people who only wish to bring him down” Khattar said.

Tiwari, a two-time winner from the seat, meanwhile attacked his opponent, Congress nominee Kanhaiya Kumar, claiming that his own party is not happy with his candidature.

He also said that people shouldn’t blame him for broken roads and water scarcity in the area because they were all caused by “AAP and their corruption”.