AAP too focussed on fighting Centre: Kailash Gahlot

In an interview with HT, Kailash Gahlot speaks about why people should vote for the BJP, and the problems that ail the AAP.

Former Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot switched over from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as recently as November. In an interview with HT, he speaks about why people should vote for the BJP, and the problems that ail the AAP. Edited excerpts:

Kailash Gahlot

People are still wondering why you quit the AAP despite being a senior minister?

I joined the party at the very beginning, when it was launched in Delhi. No one simply leaves a party without reason, especially after putting in so much effort towards building it. But the AAP is too focussed on fighting with the Centre and the lieutant governor (LG). Their political ambitions took a front seat instead of working for the people.

Your campaign is a lot about the AAP’s non-performance and the alleged scams, but these happened while you were a member of the party and a minister. Why didn’t you raise them then?

When you are a part of a party and the government, you have to maintain decorum. I tried to do my work with utmost honesty, and that’s why there are no charges against me, even though I handled important portfolios and was also a part of committees, including the one that drafted the excise policy. Notices were sent to me by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but I wasn’t scared because I had done nothing wrong.

The AAP has been claiming that all of its welfare schemes will be stopped if the BJP comes to power?

Even the Prime Minister has reassured people that all the welfare schemes will continue and will in fact be improved upon and leakages will be plugged. The BJP manifesto says the same thing. I don’t think there is any need for people to worry.

Why should people vote for the BJP this time?

The only party that can work for Delhi while taking the Centre and the LG along is the BJP. The way PM Narendra Modi has worked in the last several years proves that development can only happen when the BJP is in power... I’m not really saying that the state and Centre should always have the same government. Even when Congress was in power in Delhi and the BJP at the Centre, they coordinated with each other. But the way the AAP has behaved in absolute confrontation with the Centre has only impacted Delhi’s development.

Is Congress a threat?

I don’t see Congress as a threat at all. Even during the Lok Sabha elections, Congress and the AAP were in alliance but that did not impact the results. People don’t look at Congress as a credible option, and they believe that the AAP has miserably failed to deliver on its promises.

Why have you shifted your constituency from Najafgarh to Bijwasan?

I built roads and schools in Najafgarh and worked on creating better connectivity. I am still connected to the people there. Bijwasan is in dire need of a lot of work, so I will use my expertise of 10 years to begin work there.

If BJP does manage to win in Delhi, what role do you see yourself in with the government?

I chose politics to do good work for people in whatever capacity possible. Only time will tell what role I am going to play in the future. It is not necessary to play a specific role in a party or a government as there are multiple ways to serve people.