File Photo: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal again demanded today that the Narendra Modi government again to hand over the control of the police to the Delhi government. He said if that happened, he would make Delhi the "safest city in the world".
Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party -- which has been at loggerheads with the Centre -- has repeatedly demanded that law and order should be under the control of the Delhi government and not the home ministry. His party has criticised the Delhi Police for the deteriorating law and order.
Speaking at a special session of the Assembly on law and order, Mr Kejriwal today said, "I want to ask Modi ji... Either improve the situation of law and order in Delhi or after six months give us the powers. We will make Delhi the safest city in the world."
Mr Kejriwal has also been on a collision course with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and the police as well - claiming that they have been the means by which the Centre was controlling the Delhi government.
Today, he said, "There are several speed breakers for us... LG is a speed breaker, Meena and Bassi are all speed breakers for us!"
Delhi police chief BS Bassi - who has made known his opposition to the change the administrative control of the Delhi Police -- had challenged Mr Kejriwal to a debate last month on the functioning of his department.
The BJP, which has only three members in the 70-strong Delhi assembly, accused the Chief Minister of failing to deliver on its pre-poll promises related to women's safety and trying to extract political mileage now by convening a special Assembly session.
"Has he (Kejriwal) fulfilled any of the promises mentioned in his party's manifesto, agenda over the past six months? He would talk about deploying home guards, marshals (in buses and public places) and installing CCTV cameras. But none of these have been fulfilled," Delhi BJP general secretary Rekha Gupta told the media.