Carve out New Delhi, give full statehood to Delhi: CPI

Hyderabad: Veteran Communist leader Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said today that New Delhi should be carved out and the remaining areas of Delhi be given full statehood.

"We want New Delhi to be carved out of Delhi where central government offices, central government paraphernalia are there...that should be kept out, and remaining state should be given full statehood," the CPI General Secretary said.

He was responding to a question on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday exhorting party workers with the slogan 'L-G, Delhi Chodo' (L-G, Quit Delhi), as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party announced a city-wide campaign for full statehood to Delhi.

The CPI(M) also supported the full statehood demand for Delhi.

CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said the present setup where Delhi is ruled by the L-G, a bureaucrat appointed by the central government is "extremely undemocratic."

"In this setup, it is like the rule of a viceroy in the colonial regime with all powers over the people but accountability only to the monarch", she told PTI.

People of Delhi, Brinda Karat said, were being punished by making them face the problems related to multiple authorities and agencies of the Central government.

"Unfortunately in Delhi, Congress is siding with BJP against AAP. On this issue (statehood), we support AAP campaign", she said.

"We had suggested to AAP to make it a broader campaign rather than AAP party led but it is their decision."