The demand for granting full-statehood to Delhi is not a new issue, but a much-discussed topic among political parties, even though the residents of Delhi hardly ever talked about it or cared for it. Earlier both the BJP and Congress had proposed granting full-statehood to Delhi. In fact, the proposal also found space in the BJP manifesto of 2014. However, this year the BJP manifesto included no such promise.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi has made the granting full-statehood to Delhi its prime agenda. Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has addressed this issue in every rally in the city and elsewhere. Moreover, the opposition political parties like TDP and Trinamool are also supporting this demand.
An issue which was only heard as a part of the discussion of the intellectuals has now even penetrated to the bedrooms of the residents of slums and unauthorised colonies.
The question then becomes, why and how are the residents of Delhi paying heed to this issue in a political environment which is now highly communal and nationalistic? Various political analyses over the years say that the local issues become huge factors in every election. However, there has been a debate that in a parliamentary election people do not care about the state or local issues but their agenda becomes electing the Prime Minister.
The strategy of the AAP is encouraging people to not vote to elect the Prime Minister but for the demand of full-statehood, but this statement also has the connotation that if you do vote for BJP, Delhi will not acquire full-statehood. As per AAP, the opposition parties too will support the demand of full-statehood for Delhi. The party has also reached out to the Congress and reportedly suggested including full-statehood as part of the proposed alliance pact.
Delhi being the capital of India has a large population of the minority groups, both religious and caste-based. In Delhi, nearly 13% of people belong to the Muslim community, Sikhs comprise 4% of the population and 1% includes Christians. At the same time, Delhi has nearly 25 lakh Dalit voters, which is nearly 20% of the vote-base. Among Dalits, Atav and Valmiki comprise the major section.
The religious and caste minorities in Delhi are also the people who are the direct beneficiaries of the Delhi government schemes. The section of the population that stays in slums and unauthorised colonies is also beneficiaries of the said schemes. AAP, which has been very popular among these communities, particularly targeted them, to explain the need of full-statehood, hence, the demand has now reached multiple sections.
The AAP focused on the need for higher education to talk about the benefit of this status. Every poor family of Delhi has at least one child studying in a Delhi government school. With the development of state education, students passing out of Delhi government schools are also performing much better than before, and various activities encouraged at schools, make them realise the importance of higher education. The regular Parent Teacher Meetings (PTMs) in government schools also make parents aware of the need for education.
The demand for granting full-statehood and 85% reservation for Delhi students in the higher education has brought greater hope to these families, and also the opportunity of getting a job has become a relatable issue for the residents of the city.
Lastly, the issue of women’s safety and law and order is also a major concern in Delhi across all spectra.
With all these considerations, the AAP has made the issue of full-statehood an issue of common people and the residents have started to connect to this issue now, because now they have realised how it could benefit the poorest of the families in the city.