Two men ran from a bylane in Karol Bagh on Sunday evening. “Hurry up, it’s 5 o’clock. He’ll be here any minute now,” said one of them. After reaching Padamsingh Road in Bapanagar, he merged with the crowd of hundreds waiting around the makeshift stage in the middle. Others sat on balconies or leaned out of windows. They were all waiting for Aam Aadmi Party President Arvind Kejriwal.
Soon, the former Delhi chief minister accompanied party workers and policemen on his march through the narrow lanes, as supporters showered him with rose petals. As he took the stage, the crowd clapped and chanted in support of him.
Addressing the gathering before the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections, he said, ‘Ten years ago, you voted for me and made me the Chief Minister. You said, ‘Kejriwal, fix the schools’. I fixed the schools, didn’t I? You said, ‘Kejriwal, fix the hospitals.’ I have made healthcare free for all, established mohalla clinics and improved hospitals. You said, ‘Fix the electricity.’ Today, electricity is free and available 24 hours a day, isn’t it? There are no power outages and generators are no longer needed. “
Nodding in agreement, Purushottam Das, 72, a local egg seller, said the AAP government should get a fourth term. “What he has done for us, especially in healthcare and education, is unmatched. My family gets free treatment at Mohalla Clinic. I had a free eye surgery at Gangaram Hospital. The BJP had promised Rs 5 lakh insurance in the last election, but I have not seen it yet,” he added.
Das, however, had some complaints of his own – mainly about the area’s sewage system, which he described as “rarely clean”. However, he believes that the Kejriwal government will come back to solve such problems. “The BJP is out of touch with the common man,” he said.
During Kejriwal’s tenure, 60-year-old shopkeeper Chandra Shekhar was equally supportive. “In the last 10 years, Kejriwal has brought real change in the region. Roads are clean, sewerage is good, education system of government schools has improved a lot. I have seen the difference myself. I am confident AAP will win again.
Vegetable seller Vijay Singh was particularly vocal about his satisfaction with government hospitals and educational institutions. “My daughter gave birth in a government hospital and the care was exceptional,” he said. “The local MLA, especially Ravi, is also good. He meets people regularly, listens to their problems and tries to solve them.”
On the platform, the former chief minister blamed the BJP-led central government, citing the rise in crime in the capital. “The responsibility for law and order was given to the central government, the BJP-led central government. They were tasked with ensuring law and order and providing security to the people of Delhi. But after 10 years they have destroyed Delhi to such an extent that every person is living in fear,’ said Kejriwal.
He further asserted that the situation would have been different if the Delhi Police had been under his government: “Delhi Police is not under my control; otherwise the situation in Delhi would not be so bad. Just as I will fix schools, hospitals and electricity, I will also fix law and order, He said.
For the unemployed 49-year-old Motilal, the Aam Aadmi Party government grant has become a boon. “Free electricity, water, education – no government has provided this before. The BJP tried to frame Kejriwal for corruption, but people can see through it,” he said. “If Kejriwal has more power in the police, crime will be less in areas like ours,” he added.
However, not all responses were positive. Many residents expressed frustration about ongoing infrastructure problems in the area.
The 51-year-old businessman said, ‘Although there are only four people in the house, my water bill has reached more than 1 lakh in the last two years. Water and sewer lines mix regularly. The situation is so bad that sewage often flows into the streets. He claimed to have complained four times on the MCD portal but to no avail. He also said that there is a lack of playgrounds for children.
A retired government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed concern about the increase in the number of immigrants and the growing use of drugs in the region. He said, ‘The local residents are gradually moving away. “The water problem is worse than ever. Still, we vote, because we hope for a solution. “