Delhi MCD polls: Yogender Yadav’s Swaraj India releases vision document

Swaraj India, the political party formed by former Aam Aadmi Party leader and sociologist Yogender Yadav, proposed to place environment related issues in the forefront during its debut Delhi civic elections fight slated in April.

“We propose to place environment at the heart of urban governance. This would require a long journey of recovery, reform and redesigning,” said Yadav, the party’s national president, while launching the vision document on Sunday ahead of the municipal polls.

Read: AAP failed to deliver on education promises made during Assembly polls: Yogendra Yadav

Formed in 2016, this will be the first time the party will fight elections.

The party, which has received its registration certificate from the election commission and is awaiting its symbol, also promised three different election manifestoes for the municipal corporations of Delhi later in March.

In order to make the city garbage-free, epidemic-free and pollution-free, the party has come up with a slogan ‘Saaf Dil, Saaf Dilli’ and has proposed a series of measures including recovery of tax from non-payers.

“We propose to bring a few changes including segregation of waste, CCTV monitoring of every dhalaos (collection points), creation of monsoon readiness task force, blanket ban on open waste burning and diesel gensets among others,” he added.

The five-page vision document also speaks of a few other changes such as re-categorisation of colonies by a new valuation committee, recovery of tax dues including from Delhi Development Authority, adopting a citizen’s charter outlining a timeframe for delivery of key services and online facilities among others.

Read: MCD polls: AAP’s second list of 89 candidates has 59 women

Yadav launched a veiled attack on the state government and the three existing municipal corporations claiming that routine and avoidable confrontations between the Delhi government and the lieutenant governor on one hand, and the Delhi government and MCDs on the other hand, have worsened over the past two years leading to chaotic governance.

Asked why citizens would believe in his party, Yadav said: “We were a part of AAP. But when we found that the AAP government was not fulfilling its promises, we stepped down. This should generate some trust. In our party we have brought several innovations to keep it clean and transparent which were shadowed by a few other parties.”