As the roads in the national capital continue to flood and the clean Yamuna promise is still filled with toxic foam, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is back with a few more dreams and promises.
Kejriwal while launching Delhi@2047- a platform for fostering partnerships with CSR and Philanthropic organizations said, “We’ll increase Delhi’s per capita income to Singapore’s level. We’ll bid for 2048 Olympics. There should be 24×7 water supply before next polls.”
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1422459352166764546?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwChanging destination from Singapore to Europe, Kejriwal further boasted, “Delhi has made good efforts in some sectors in last 5 yrs. Extraordinary achievements have been made in education. Delhi has 24×7 electricity supply. There are over 100 door services. Many things are yet to be done. We want to make roads as per European standards.”
However, his comments did not go down well with the netizens who slammed the Chief Minister reminding him of his failed promises.
Netizens react to new promises
A Twitter user pointed out that Kejriwal’s new promise is plausibly a back-door entry for NGOs after they were subjected to intense scrutiny over Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) violations.
“Making way for back-door entry of breaking-India forces & NGOs that took a hit bcz of Modi govt’s FCRA enforcement, and now their illegal, black money funds are drying up,” the handle Tweeted.
https://twitter.com/AapGhumaKeLeL0/status/1422461613005688833?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn the first term of NDA Government, the registrations of over 14,800 NGOs were cancelled over various FCRA violations. This move to rope in ‘philanthropic organisations’ was seen by many with suspicion that this may open doors for the NGOs which were earlier shown the door by Union Govt.
Another user hinting at the government’s inefficiency, tweeted about the recent sinkholes that appeared on prime roads in Delhi.
“Fact: Delhi roads have already attained International standards under the rule of Arvind Kejriwal. They’ve underground parking system similar to Japan & Water transportation system similar to Venice,” read the Tweet.
https://twitter.com/datsIit/status/1422466000218296323?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwWhile some dug out long-forgotten promises made by the Chief Minister on water supply comparing it to today’s water crisis in Delhi.
https://twitter.com/aloktripathi75/status/1422469512834666496?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwSome even mocked Kejriwal for his advertising and marketing gimmicks by wanting to make Delhi a new international city every year.
A user by the name Adith Malhotra Tweeted, “This is latest addition to the fakery of political advertisement world. Delhi walas keep on enjoying the show. Kabhi London, kabhi Singapore, kabhi Europe and Delhi wale Delhi ka hi intezaar karte rehgaye hai. Courtesy Advertisement guru Shri Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji Maharaj.”
https://twitter.com/AdithMalhotra/status/1422476809178779648?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwArvind Kejriwal government had recently come under fire for spending crores on advertisement amid the pandemic, especially when there was peak oxygen crisis during the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.
Singapore warned Kejriwal to stick to ‘facts’
In a recent political faux pas, the Delhi Chief Minister was slammed by his role model country officials for accusing them falsely. Kejriwal in the month of May had taken to Twitter to claim that a new variant of Covid-19 was found in Singapore and appealed to Indian government to shut down flights to and from Singapore to not let the ‘new variant’ reach India.
https://twitter.com/vagishasoni/status/1422479566061248516?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwTo this, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan suggested that politicians should stick to facts and slammed Kejriwal’s statement reiterating that there is “no Singapore variant.”
A Twitterati was quick to remind Kejriwal of the embarrassing incident. “Sir, you have such a short memory,” wrote the user sharing the news.
Failed Delhi Model
The national capital governed by the Aam Aadmi Party has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. From mismanagement during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic to supporting ‘andolanjeevis’ to the water crisis, Kejriwal’s dream of Delhi seems far from reality.
Kejriwal in 2015 had promised to clean the Yamuna river within 5 years. And this was the promise made on the banks of the river when Kejriwal, along with his cabinet colleagues and senior Delhi government officials, had taken part in the first ‘Yamuna Aarti’ held at the Kudesia Ghat. However, the river continues to be clouded with toxic foam.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1409714524190433281?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwKejriwal’s next promise of ‘free pani’ too turned out to be costly for the citizens of Delhi who were seen running behind the water tankers this summer amidst a raging pandemic.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1409760618660339712?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwTalking about wanting to make roads as per European standard, here are some visuals of the roads in Delhi after one spell of rain.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1421647049171165184?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwJust like the woes of the Delhi citizens have no end, the dreams of Arvind Kejriwal too seem to be endless.
What is Delhi@2047?
Kejriwal’s Delhi@2047 initiative is to invite private players from different sectors to develop public infrastructure, transport networks, solid waste management and fight air pollution.
“Several sectors need more work in the days to come, such as Delhi’s roads, water supply, public transport system, development of lakes, sports infrastructure, solid waste management and fighting air pollution. It is not rocket science. Cleaning Delhi actually can be turned into a revenue generating idea,” Kejriwal said at the launch.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has approved a hike in MLAs’ salaries who will now get a salary of Rs 30,000 besides other perks amounting to a total of approximately Rs 90,000.