AAP rule ended 'raid raj', boosted people's faith in Delhi govt: Kejriwal

Speaking at an event at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal said that AAP government has finished the "raid raj" in Delhi and asserted that people have paid more taxes since the AAP government came to power.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his government has finished the "raid raj" in the national capital and asserted that people have paid more taxes since the AAP government came to power, leading to almost doubling of revenues this year in comparison to 2015

Speaking at an event at the Talkatora Stadium here, he said in 2015 the revenues to the government from taxes stood at "Rs 30,000 crore which has jumped to nearly Rs 60,000 crore this year".

This is one of the many "wonders" that has happened in the last five years, Kejriwal said, adding, in 2010, the revenue collection from tax stood at Rs 25,000 crores.

"So, in five years from 2010-2015, the revenues increased by Rs 1,000 crore per year on an average, but from 2015 to the present, it grew by nearly Rs 6,000 crores per year.

"How did this wonder happen. The faith of people in the government has grown over these years. I have worked in the I-T Department and we have thought about why people evade paying taxes. One of the reasons is that they may not want to do so if they feel there is corruption in the government at the helm of affairs," Kejriwal said.

But, if they feel the government of the day is honest, they will pay taxes, he said.

"We have ended 'raid raj' and traders and businessmen are feeling relieved as they are not being harassed with raids. Now people are willing to pay taxes as they know an honest government is in charge of Delhi," the chief minister said to a thunderous applause.

Intensifying the Delhi government's anti-dengue campaign, Kejriwal addressed a gathering of representatives of various resident welfare associations (RWAs) as part of the mega drive.

The AAP government had last week said it had signed MoUs with RWA apex bodies URJA and Citizens' Alliance as part of its initiative to reach out to RWAs across Delhi in a "big way".

The Delhi government is also planning to partner with over 3,000 RWAs across the national capital as part of its ongoing '10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute' campaign.

"Very soon we will also sign MoUs with various individual RWAs as well to step up the campaign," Kejriwal said.

He said there were fears that dengue cases might have spiked this year as experts say, it does so in every 4-5 year cycle.

"In 2015, Delhi saw 15,000 cases and about 60 deaths. But, we worked on it over these years and this year, the number of dengue cases is far less. Till yesterday, that number stood at about 221," he said.

The campaign - from September 1 and November 15 - to combat dengue has garnered support from several personalities, including cricket legend Kapil Dev, many Bollywood actors and well-known journalists.

During a recent press conference, Kejriwal had said, "In five years, the number of dengue cases reported have come down by 80 per cent. We have tried to reduce it even further. This year, fortunately, there is no spike in it and it is because all people have come together, from the Delhi government to the Centre and the MCD".

Kejriwal said he has realised that no matter how much government machinery does, "this dengue menace could not have been curbed if people were not involved".

"In many countries and in many cities in India, the number of dengue cases are growing every year. But, in Delhi, it is going down. This has been made possible by the collective work of everyone in Delhi," he said.

People have been cooperating in making the "pollution level go down in Delhi" and they had shown support during the last Odd-Even scheme too.

"Very less 'challans' were imposed as people took it in the right spirit. Now the second odd-even scheme will come into force from November 4," the chief minister said.

He also reiterated his government's decision to install 2.1 lakh streetlights across the city to light up dark spots, and asserted there is an "extraordinary transformation" taking place in Delhi in the last five years.