All for Swaraj? Pankaj Pushkar rallies people against AAP

By Ishan Kukreti

Timarpur MLA Pankaj Pushkar on Sunday rallied a crowd of Sangam Vihar's (Wazirabad) unauthorized colony residents from Vidhan Sabha to Arvind Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines.

Pushkar gave the Delhi government a deadline of September 6 to respond to his demands of proper sewage and drainage system in the area, setting up of a mohalla clinic among other things in the area.

As his daylong 'Satyagrah' and subsequent agitation has failed to draw the attention of Aam Aadmi Party's top brass, Pushkar has upped the ante against AAP.

"I haven't received any response from the government so far. The problem of dengue is acute in the area with more than 50 people admitted in various hospitals. There are overflowing drains and breeding mosquitoes. I am making an appeal to the Delhi administration to pay heed to the city locals' problems." Pushkar told NewsGram.

The drainage and sewage facility in the area are indeed in a very bad state. According to a resident of Sangam Vihar, Mahaprasad who is getting a family member treated at Lok Nayak hospital for dengue, the drains in his locality are overflowing and they are breeding all kinds of microbes including mosquitoes.

However, in the light of the fact that AAP government has released Rs. 297 crore under Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS) where MLAs can undertake developmental activities including construction of drains in their areas; Pushkar's agitation against the government seems a little out of place.

"I have tried my level best in the last six months to get things done. I have raised the issue in the assembly in District Development Committee and even reached out to my colleagues, but I have not received any response," Pushkar explained this as a reason for his incapability to get things fixed in Sangam Vihar.

The minister's affiliation with Swaraj Abhiyan, the breakaway group from AAP involving Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, is not a hidden fact and he has shared the Jai Kisan stage, time and again.

On being contacted, the AAP spokesperson was unavailable to comment on the issue.