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An Open Letter to Arvind Kejriwal

By Shutapa Paul
Updated on :

Dear Mr Kejriwal,

As kids we were taught the adage, “A bad workman blames his tools.” So in the blame game that you have recently launched against the BJP-led MCD over the current health emergency, as usual it’s the common man that suffers. Let’s get one thing straight Mr CM…Delhi is suffering and you’re doing squat about it, Sir.

Roads are potholed, mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya and dengue has claimed hundreds of victims, and don’t even get me started on the complete breakdown of traffic management. Have you stepped out on the road lately, Mr Kejriwal? Three years ago, a distance of 13 kms that I traversed twice every single day would take me under 40 mins. Today, that same distance takes me almost 1.5 hours. Repeated complaints to Delhi Traffic Police have yielded little.

I clutch my GPS for dear life, checking different routes, calculating best time to ditch the traffic…so that after a hard day at work, I can at least get home peacefully. We want to conquer the world, but just getting to and fro from office is a struggle. Living in your Delhi has become so tough that I’m actually shifting homes so that I can be nearer to my workplace! Instead of making lives easier, with every passing day, my life in Delhi has become worse.

Have you noticed the complete lawlessness practiced by your favourite vote-bank, the autowallahs? They park any and everywhere. Bus stops and metro station exits are clogged with autos while buses are trying to stop, the result? Complete chaos. Who suffers? Your ‘aam aadmi’.

The grameen seva autos are a separate menace. They repeatedly come from the wrong side of the road and I am yet to see a single one with headlights on. These are the people that you pandered to before Delhi elections. Today with you in power, they have the clout to blatantly flout traffic rules and civic sense. They are above all law. While you turn a blind eye to this seemingly inconspicuous yet brazen disregard for law and order, guess who suffers? Your ‘aam aadmi’.

Your government has swung into action to tackle the health emergency after over 1000 cases of chikungunya, 1,100 cases of dengue, and 21 cases of malaria have been reported. These are only the reported cases; the actual numbers could be far higher. I’m told that government colonies are being regularly fumigated, not just a solitary time. Just because I stay in Alaknanda near upmarket GK 2, am I not ‘aam aadmi’ enough for you, Sir? And your MLA’s leaflet justifying the health crisis reached my doorstep before the fumigator did. When you see a loved one grievously incapacitated by the onslaught of chikungunya, trust me, reading your leaflet is the last thing I want to do.

Sure, you’re providing water and electricity subsidies, but there’s no denying that the quality of life in Delhi has taken a serious beating in the recent months. Responding to the two reported deaths because of chikungunya in the city, you’ve said today, “ask PM”. If you continue with this mud slinging then nothing will improve. You are as much responsible for our plight as is the central government. And while you repeatedly target PM Narendra Modi, guess who suffers? Your ‘aam aadmi’.

‘A bad workman blames his tools’…So, get the job done, Sir.

Yours sincerely,

Shutapa.

P.S. Please ask your health minister, Mr Satyendar Jain to come back to Delhi. After the Vatican, surely he is needed here than in Goa.

 

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