Delhi vs Centre: AAP spells out LS polls strategy; to seek support for full statehood

Spelling out its strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the AAP said it will strongly rake up the issue of full statehood for Delhi among the voters and seek electoral support for its candidates and the "grand alliance" of opposition parties.

AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said winning all seven Lok Sabha seats by the Aam Aadmi Party will become a turning point in providing full statehood status to the national capital.

The party has raised this demand on earlier occasions too, but this time it will come out with a "foolproof" pre-election strategy to up the ante, according to the AAP leader.

The party intensifying the demand comes after the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the contentious issue of control of services in the city between the Delhi government and the Centre and referred the matter to a larger bench.

He said that despite winning 67 seats out of 70 seats, the AAP dispensation cannot do anything, but a party (BJP) which won just three seats, "can do everything".

"We have been fighting under legal framework to press for our issues for the last four years, but we have not got much yet.

"We will now go among Delhiites in the Lok Sabha polls and make them understand as to how the status of full statehood will be given to Delhi if the AAP wins seven seats and the grand-alliance forms government at the Centre," Rai told PTI.

He claimed that more than three lakh posts are currently vacant in the Delhi government, but as services does not come under the AAP dispensation, it cannot recruit people.

"There are mohalla clinics where doctors are to be appointed. Teachers are to be appointed in schools. Officers do not obey government's orders as we do not have services.

"In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, we will request Delhitees to vote in favour of AAP candidates and grand alliance so that Delhi can get its rights," Rai said.

The Aam Aadmi Party has appointed in-charges for six out of total seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The in-charges are being considered probable candidates in the general election.

The ruling party will launch "Your MLA and councilor at your doorstep" campaign from Friday in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.