Despite Haryana win, BJP not confident about Delhi: Gopal Rai

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By Shakeb Ayaz,
New Delhi, 16 Nov 2014: Unlike Haryana which had Congress government and corruption all pervasive, leading to the emergence of BJP, Delhi has Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which ran a 49-day government with good performance, says Gopal Rai, senior leader and Executive Committee member of AAP.

Excerpts:
Kindly throw light on the preparation of AAP for Assembly election in Delhi.
We have stepped up effort for strengthening the ground level and booth level organization. Lots of work has been done. We are also concentrating on door to door campaign in Delhi. We are asking people to compare the work done by AAP in 49 days and the BJP led central government in 150 days and then evaluate. Not only that, we have prepared a blue print for development of Delhi in the next five years and our campaign of Delhi Dialogue. It is being launched from Jantar Mantar from November 15 and the dialogue will be held across all the class and religion in Delhi and all the communities to know about their idea how to further develop Delhi. After the process we will prepare a 50 point programme of the blueprint based on which Delhi will be developed in the next five years.

It is said that the party ran away from running the Delhi government.
We did not have majority. Our government was run on the support of Congress. We had only 28 seats and for running a successful government at least 36 seats were required. Congress and BJP got together on Jan Lokpal with 42 MLAs voting against us, 28 votes were in our favour, so we decided that we will showcase the 49-day work done by Arvind Kejriwal government and get a majority in the elections and move ahead.

In Lok Sabha elections in May, BJP was ahead in 60 assembly seats in Delhi. What is the reason behind your optimism for the upcoming assembly elections?
The Parliament election was a different thing. It was for a government at the centre. In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal is recognized as an honest person. The work that was done on 49 days of AAP government that quality of work has not been even done by the BJP government. People have been voting for the Congress for the last 15 years, the condition of Delhi is in front of all of us. The BJP is in power in MCD for the last eight years. The corruption in MCD is well known. The people of Delhi want an honest government. All the caste and communities will organize and vote AAP for giving a responsible government.

The BJP has registered a convincing win in neighbouring Haryana, so will it make an impact in Delhi also?
If the victory in Haryana would have given necessary confidence to the BJP then the Supreme Court need not have pulled the Narendra Modi led central government. The SC had said that President’s rule cannot go on forever and pulled up the Lieutenant Governor and the centre for delaying elections in Delhi. In Haryana it was Congress government and the way corruption was all pervasive, the people had no option which led to the emergence of BJP in that state. Such a condition does not exist in Delhi. In Delhi AAP is there which ran a 49-day government which had performed well and it is a party which calls for alternative politics. Today the BJP and the Congress dare not put a candidate in front of Arvind Kejriwal. The people of Delhi in the last election were not sure about AAP capable of getting such a large number of seats. Some thought it might end up getting four or 14 seats.

You have declared one list with 22 candidates, so when is the next list expected?
Very soon, the next list will come as soon as the candidates are finalized after due completion of process.

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