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| Edited By: Geeta Desai |Source: DNA |Updated: Jan 16, 2017, 07:10 AM IST
With civic election dates announced, political parties are gearing up for the aggressive campaigns and lashing out at their opponents. However, all eyes are on the ruling alliance partners Shiv Sena - Bharatiya Janata Party. Will both the parties reach on a common platform from where the alliance for the Mumbai Civic elections will take off, or fight solo? Ashish Shelar, Mumbai President of Bharatiya Janata Party and newly appointed Mumbai Cricket Association President shares his views on party’s policy, political scenario, performance of corporators from his party and on Congress - NCP’s failure
BJP’s agenda for the next civic election will be based on party’s policy of development, transparency and efficiency. We have decided to choose candidates who will have the potential to achieve this goal. We will have mix of all senior and experienced corporators, women, young faces and candidates from mandatory reserved category.
Our corporators have aggressively shown their presence in their wards and have worked for the development in their respective wards. Time and again they have come across as vocal and an alert lot. Their achievement was noticeable and has been acknowledge by the citizens of their wards.
We are positive to have discussions for the alliance with Shiv Sena and all the efforts from our side is inching towards healthy discussion aiming to achieve victory in civic elections. It is the proposal given by Uddhav Thackeray that the discussion on alliance should be started as soon as possible. Our party is for the discussion and have decided to respond the call. So mutually, if it is agreed on the agenda of transparent working system for the development of Mumbai, we will go ahead and discuss.
We are not here to accept whatever is given to us. It is not that they (Shiv Sena) are somebody to give us and we (BJP) are ready to take whatever is given to us. There needs to be change in the ‘concept’ now. Assembly election results has made it very clear that who is big and who is small. Not even in State we have highest number of MLAs, but also in Mumbai we have 15 MLAs.
No, not at all. I think it is unfortunate that everything needs to be looked through political angle.
When you are talking about the timing, one must see that in past seven - eight years erstwhile Congress - NCP government has not done anything on hawkers issue. If at all somebody has missed the time, it is Congress - NCP combine. Congress has played with the fate of this city. In the corporation who was claiming that they are doing everything, they have missed the bus by protecting, not protecting, taking actions, penalising and allowing all illegality. When the issue came before the cabinet they immediately discussed, debated and again debated and clarified within one and a half year. So one has to take in to account the efficiency of the state government to take decision within the time. Even in case of MHADA, the residents were denied of their rightful share. We have simply given them what they deserved.
Our idea is very clear on the choice of candidates. Those who have shown their support and have joined the party also has been given the same clarity. We will not compromise on our parameters.
We do not want to do that. We will never do it. But I know for the fact that the friends to opposition, they will certainly take up these issue and We will not shy away to answer them. We will at least have to answer them and we will answer them aggressively.
Shivsena has taken over the your support base from your own constituency those party workers who were working for you have joined Sena.
