BJP slams CM's 'pick and chose' policy, RWAs raising discomforting issues for Delhi Govt. excluded from RWAs meets

• Majority of RWAs excluded from RWAs meet as Delhi Govt. refuses to address key issues
• Most RWAs disillusioned with double speak of CM and Congress ministers: Rai

New Delhi, July 1 : The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party today criticized Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and her cabinet colleagues for bluffing the Resident Welfare Associations of the city by forcing them not to raise issues of power, water and collapse of other crucial public utilities as well as issues of safety of women in the ' jamboories' organized by it under the so called "Bhagidari" programme.

Delhi BJP general Secretary Ms. Shikha Rai said, "It is shocking to see the dictatorial attitude of Congress government. All those RWAs which have been trying to raise the issues related to core problems of Delhi residents such as power, water, sewage, law and order are not even invited to such functions any more. Hence such programmes, one of which was held on Sunday in presence of Chief Minister, have turned into farce. In fact, some of those who tried to the issues of water woes faced by them, they were not allowed to do so. What kind of "Bhagidari" is this where the CM is forcing RWAs to follow her diktats and that too at the cost of public money."

"The function held yesterday allowed only those who were "invited". What kind of an open forum is this where entry is only by "invitation". In reality, the CM and her cabinet colleagues are scared of the backlash from hundreds of RWAs which have been left in the lurch after making tall promises. "

"Out of around 3500 registered RWAs in the Capital, a majority are not invited to any meeting with RWAs by the Delhi government any more. This is to curb he dissenting voice of the RWAs who actually bring forward the genuine issues and refuse to toe the government's line, "said Shri Saurabh Gandhi, Regional Convenor ( North), United Residents Joint Action(URJA) which is an umbrella organization of RWAs in the Capital.

"Lakhs of rupees are spent in the name of organizing workshops for RWAs but when it comes to addressing real issues faced by the RWAs such as poor sewage, poor quality and non-availability of water, high power and water tariff, poor condition of roads, there is no one in Delhi government who is ready to even listen to these complaints. No one in Delhi government is willing to address the day to day problems suffered by common people of Delhi. The result is that a majority of the RWAs are no more involved in the so called "Bhagidari" scheme which has turned out to be nothing else but a platform to waste public money and promote false propaganda of Delhi government."

Shri S.K. Sharma, President, Residents Federation of Rohini Cooperative Group Housing Societies, another leading umbrella organization of RWAs said, "The Delhi government has not done anything concrete over the last 14 and a half years and the agenda set by RWAs in the city remain largely unfulfilled. Thousands of colonies are struggling to have even basic utilities in shape with no support from the government and very high tariffs of power and water. Now suddenly the CM has remembered the importance of RWAs just a few months before assembly elections."

"The CM and her ministers should stop befooling the people of Delhi. If they had any intention of doing something worthwhile for the common people, 14 and ahalf years is a quite long period. But they have failed miserably. All they have done is to make false promises and now they are again doing so by holding meetings with RWAs. But this time it will not work."