The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi BJP MPs slept over issues: Sandeep

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 18, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi BJP MPs slept over issues: Sandeep

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 17 . Alleging that none of the seven Bharatiya Janata Party MPs in the dissolved Lok Sabha ever seriously raised any issue concerning Delhi, the Congress candidate for the East Delhi constituency, Sandeep Dikshit, today said it was essential to have party members in the Lok Sabha for taking up issues of the people and better co-ordination between the Delhi Government and the Centre.

Sandeep Dikshit, son of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, is seeking his maiden entry into Lok Sabha from East Delhi and is pitted against Lal Bihari Tiwari, the three-time BJP Member of Parliament from here who is seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive term.

With the BJP leaders representing all the seven Delhi constituencies in the dissolved Lok Sabha, Mr. Dikshit said the voice of the Capital's citizens was rarely heard in Parliament. "They have been talking about Statehood for Delhi, but what did they do all these years?" he asked.

Despite the not so cooperative attitude of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, Mr. Dikshit added, the Congress Government in Delhi had been able to carry out remarkable development activities here. "Had there been even some support from the BJP Members of Parliament, the progress would have been phenomenal," he said.

Speaking about his campaigning, Mr. Dikshit said during the next few days he would be holding a series of meetings with the party workers and officials in East Delhi.

It is only after filing his nomination papers on April 20 or 21he would inaugurate the election offices in the area and then full-fledged campaigning would follow.

Though details of the campaign are yet to be worked out, Mr. Dikshit would be holding "jan sampark" meetings in the morning, "padyatras" in the afternoon and corner meetings in the evening. "This is summer time and we will not be holding any public meetings in the afternoon," he said.

Talking about his BJP rival, Mr. Dikshit said: "In 1998 when my mother contested we did not get enough time to campaign. Anyhow, it is the people of the area who elected Mr. Tiwari. I do not have any personal grudge against him."

At the same time he was quick to point out that Mr. Tiwari had not been able to live up to the people's expectations. In the past one decade during which the BJP candidates represented the seat, East Delhi has not kept pace with development, he added.

Mr. Dikshit said he would be raising the issue of unemployment among the educated youths of the area besides the problems of habitation and infrastructure development. "Sanitation is one area which needs to be focussed on," he said.

Referring to his involvement in local issues and community development programmes in various States particularly Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Dikshit said: "My experiences with such issues would help me in carrying out better and all-round development of the area. Various schemes and programmes of the Government could be implemented in a better way."

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