PTI
NNEW DELHI, JANUARY 3
He, however, asserted that the people have appreciated the initiative and cooperated with the government in the plan’s implementation as protecting the environment is a major challenge.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that the AAP government went ahead with the odd-even plan despite apprehensions that the move may have an adverse impact on the party’s vote bank.
He, however, asserted that the people have appreciated the initiative and cooperated with the government in the plan’s implementation as protecting the environment is a major challenge. “Around one-and-a-half months back when the odd-even plan was being deliberated upon, apprehensions were raised that if the scheme is rolled out, Delhi’s public will be so disappointed with us that we will lose the 2017 MCD election but the scheme was important as there was an urgent need to address the traffic and pollution problems,” Kejriwal said at a book launch event here.
“We do not view everything as vote bank because with that perspective we will not be able to work for benefit of the public. If we were only bothered about the vote bank and focused only on conventional politics, we would not have been able to implement the odd-even scheme,” he said.
The Chief Minister said, “The plan’s success has strengthened our confidence that if public is taken along even difficult tasks can be handled and public support is bigger than even the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre.” Kejriwal said that his government’s plan was to ensure that the odd-even scheme does not get reduced to a mere slogan.
