Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will do away with the residential house tax and waive off arrears if it is voted to power in the capital's civic bodies election.
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Unfazed by his party's defeat in Punjab and Goa recently, Kejriwal is now directing his focus on his home turf, Delhi, to woo voters ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls on April 23.
Kejriwal also cancelled his visit to Gujarat to address party volunteers in Gandhinagar on Sunday. AAP workers are set to gather in Gandhinagar from across the 182 Assembly segments in the state at Chhavni Maidan to discuss strategies for the upcoming Gujarat assembly election.
AAP Saurashtra zone convener Kanu Kalsaria said the Delhi CM "will not be there to guide them as he is busy with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls."
Reports state the booth-level volunteers meeting will now be addressed by senior AAP leader and Delhi's Labour Minister Gopal Rai.
Kejriwal held a press conference in Delhi on Saturday and said, "We will abolish the residential house tax and waive off tax arrears of MCD if AAP comes to power...the party is preparing its detailed manifesto which will be released soon."
The AAP party chief said the house tax has become a major source of corruption in the capital and vowed to end it if his party is voted to power in the MCD polls.
The Delhi CM also said if elected, his party will transform the three civic corporations in the national capital into profit-making bodies. Two of Delhi's civil bodies -- the New Delhi Municipal Council and East Delhi Municipal Corporation - are currently struggling with financial losses.
When asked about the habit of promising freebies just ahead of polls, Kejriwal said the party fulfils all its promises.
"Before Assembly polls, we had promised to halve power tariff besides making water free. We fulfilled all these promises. We are not lying. We are saving from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore in construction of every flyover and spending them on public-welfare schemes. What is wrong in it?" Kejriwal said.
