BJP may stall CCTV project: CM Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: A day after the Delhi Cabinet cleared the Aam Aadmi Party’s ambitious CCTV project, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that he feared sabotage of the project by the Bharatiya Janta Party.

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi CM claimed that he has been told by a BJP leader that the saffron unit was exploring options such as lodging a CBI case against the project or getting the lieutenant-governor to refer the project to the President.

“A BJP leader has told me that the party will not let the CCTV cameras to be installed in the city. The BJP is working on two options : lodge a fake case with CBI and seize all the files to halt the project or get the LG to refer the project to the President. If the BJP resorts to obstruct the project, the public will not tolerate this,” the CM tweeted.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, however, rubbished Mr Kejriwal’s allegations as “unfounded” asserting that he was ready for a dialogue with the CM to address them. He said that his party’s MPs have been installing CCTV cameras in their constituencies, while the AAP government has not been able to install cameras in the last three years. “It is an irresponsible statement,” he said.

Meanwhile, the AAP leaders slammed the Centre for failing to protect its citizens and said that the “brutality” could have been avoided if CCTV cameras were in place.

“The brutal rape of a 6-year-old in an NDMC school has put the safety and security of citizens under a big question mark. The Lt Governor, BJP and all the other officials must explain as the Centre controls law and order of the Capital,” AAP Lok Sabha candidate from East Delhi, Atishi Marlena said.

“Whenever AAP steps forward to make Delhi crime-free by installing CCTV cameras across the city, the BJP causes disturbance in the work of public interest,” she added.

The AAP government had on Friday cleared the proposal to install 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras across the city. The project will cost the government '571.40 crore, which includes a capital cost of '320.96 crore and the maintenance cost of '250.44 crore for a period of five years. The AAP government had given an-principle approval to the project in October 2015, but it could be cleared only now, because of Centre’s “delaying tactics,” alleged Mr Kejriwal.