New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced his plans for an indefinite fast from the first of March to demand full statehood for Delhi. He said this during the ongoing session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Reacting to this, former international cricketer and Delhi resident Gautam Gambhir
The CM said that he is not going to back down for his demands. “From March 1, we will launch the movement to make Delhi a full state and we will not end it till Delhi gets full statehood,” he added.
Earlier in the week, the Delhi CM had appealed to the Prime Minister to grant full statehood to Delhi by writing a letter. He also said that his Aam Aadmi Party will conduct a door to door campaign informing citizens how the Centre and the BJP have been doing ‘injustice’ to the people of Delhi.
Earlier protests by Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP
Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party are known to get what they want with the help of protests. In June 2018, the Delhi Chief Minister, along with three of his ministers, sat in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s house, demanding that he stop the alleged strike of IAS officers in Delhi and also approve the doorstep delivery of rations scheme mooted by the Delhi government. This ‘sit-in’ lasted for a couple of days, with the L-G finally giving in with the scheme being approved and other issues being solved.
Statehood demands dilemma for the Centre
This latest statehood demand, however, is nothing new. Previous governments too have demanded it, but have not got the support of the Centre as the provisions for the same in the Constitution need to be changed, which can be a long process. For the Centre, granting statehood to Delhi can open a Pandora’s box with other regions including Gorkhaland, Bundelkhand, and others also demanding the same.
However, with the general elections just months away, it is highly unlikely that the Narendra Modi led Government will give in to the Delhi CM’s demands. How the days of the fast from the 1st of March unfolds remains to be seen.