The Aam Aadmi Party has released a 70-point manifesto ahead of the Delhi polls on 7 February, with heavy emphasis on electricity and water, the cornerstones of its hugely successful 2013 assembly election campaign that saw the party win 28 seats.
Despite its short lived and disastrous stint in power in Delhi, the party has clearly recognised that the issues on which it campaigned remain as relevant to voters as ever, and has therefore come back with a promise to deliver effectively. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has already apologised to voters for stepping down as Chief Minister after a mere 49 days in power.
The manifesto, which the party tweeted out from its official handle, includes a promise to a comprehensive performance audit of electricity companies by the CAG, and pledge to fulfill its 2013 Delhi manifesto promise of providing consumers the right to choose between electricity providers. It has also vowed to reduce electricity bills by half.
In terms of water, the party says that it is “committed to clamping down on Delhi’s powerful water mafia working under the patronage of political leaders, and ensure the “firm implementation of the HC order that entitles Delhi to extra raw water from Haryana in Munak canal”
Here are the tweets relating to water and electricity:
4. Aam Aadmi Party government will keep its promise of reducing electricity bills by half. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
6. AAP will put Delhi’s own power station at the pithead nd comprehensively solve Delhi’s electricity problem in long run. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
7. #AAP reiterates the 2013 Delhi manifesto promise of providing consumers right to choose between electricity providers. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
7. #AAP reiterates the 2013 Delhi manifesto promise of providing consumers right to choose between electricity providers. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
8. AAP will facilitate a phased shift to renewable and alternate sources of energy like Solar Energy. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
9. AAP will provide Water as a Right. It will provide access to clean drinking water to all of Delhi at an affordable price #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
10. #AAP will ensure free lifeline water of up to 20 kiloliters (20,000 liters) to every household per month. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
11. AAP will provide universal access to potable water to all its citizens of Delhi at a sustainable and affordable price. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
12. AAP will ensure firm implementation of the HC order that entitles Delhi to extra raw water from Haryana in Munak canal #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
13. Our government will preserve and replenish local and decentralized water resources to augment Delhi’s water resources. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
14. AAP is committed to clamping down on Delhi’s powerful water mafia working under the patronage of political leaders. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
15. Several steps will be taken to revive the Yamuna including sewer treatment and control affluent discharge. #AAPKaManifesto
– Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, 2015
Other key points in the manifesto include a promise to push for full statehood for Delhi, a plan to revamp admission procedure for nursery and KG through a centralized online system, and a pledge to install CCTV cameras in DTC buses, bus stands and in crowded places as a deterrent against crime.
AAP’s manifesto comes even as the BJP released a ‘vision document’ instead of a manifesto of its own, a move that was attributed to indecision over Delhi statehood. Therefore, it is significant that the AAP document has specifically mentioned that it would push for full statehood.
On one hand, senior party leader Harsh Vardhan, who was the head of manifesto committee, had suggested a promise to include full statehood but chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi and others were wary of disturbing the status quo.
“We have to be pragmatic. How can we give full statehood to Delhi? There will be issues of multiplicity of power, land ownership and law and order,” a senior party leader told The Indian Express.
The manifesto also comes even as the latest opinion polls project that AAP could well win the Delhi election.
According to an ABP-Nielsen survey, 50 percent of those polled were likely to vote for the Kejriwal-led party, up 4 percent from the last survey conducted by the agency in the second week of January.
The BJP has since swung into damage control mode, deputing a ‘man to man’ football strategy to combat AAP leaders, and bringing down central ministers to campaign for the party on a state level.
