AAP divided Delhi into two verticals… ignored those who pay taxes: CM Rekha Gupta at Express Adda

“The previous government and the party divided Delhi into two verticals — one includes those who pay taxes, which help run the city. They never paid attention to them… from traders to industry, there is nothing in Delhi. There are no jobs, no work… They are all running towards Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida,” the Chief Minister said.

“Then there are those people who they lured by giving 200 units of electricity free to get votes. They used this formula in a way that left people to their own devices and there was no accountability… But gradually, people understood that this will not help the city grow… we need industry and infrastructure,” she said.

On the ongoing demolition drives, Gupta said wrong practices should be flagged. “In this city, people have stopped calling out what is wrong. Today, we are in a situation where it has become wrong to say that you cannot build houses on railway tracks; following court orders is considered wrong,” she said.

“Despite giving slum dwellers houses worth Rs 35 lakh, if they don’t move and you remove the encroachment, what can you say? There are 675 slum clusters and lakhs of houses in Delhi that are eligible for rehabilitation based on set rules. Neither the Congress nor AAP gave houses to anyone, they only encouraged them to come in and settle… If the BJP govt is demolishing slums, it is also providing new houses to the people even as it improves the city’s infrastructure,” she said.

Responding to a question on being a part of the anti-corruption movement in 2011-12, which gave rise to AAP, Gupta said, “It was a moment when people of Delhi thought a change was going to come. All of them wanted a corruption-free government. With that hope, hundreds of people joined and I also joined… but now people will not forget this party (AAP) for what they did in the last ten years.”

A three-time councillor and first-time MLA, Gupta also spoke about her political journey — from an ABVP worker to Chief Minister. “I don’t come from a political background… I was the first girl from the Aggarwal samaj to contest university elections… I am happy that today there is a party (BJP), which gives opportunity to people who come from a non-political background,” she said.

Speaking about full statehood for Delhi, which her party demanded till 2014, Gupta said, “The previous government only wanted to pick fights, sometimes with the Centre and the L-G, sometimes with the courts and police. But the fact that governments can cooperate was never in their formulation. Today, there is a cordial environment in the city where the Centre, state and civic bodies are under the same ideology and can work in sync, there is no need for a discussion on statehood. There are other things that take priority.”

On the monetary scheme for women, the Chief Minister said, “It is our intent to implement a foolproof scheme so that eligible persons who do not have ration cards also benefit from it. We are working on a foolproof policy. Work is underway, it will be provided very soon.”

The Chief Minister was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express.

Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests include Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.