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Against�all odds, Shiela Dikshit� has�ruled Delhi for five years.�If the�pundits are to be believed, she�is all set to�retain office.
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The chief minister�takes credit for�implementing the Supreme Court�order of converting the entire public transport system�to green fuel, making Delhi a city of flyovers,�the privatisation of power distribution and introduction�of the Bhagidari system urging people's participation in�government schemes to improve the ever-increasing city�of 15 million people.
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The chief minister�has been demanding full statehood�for�Delhi -- currently a National Capital Territory -- and alleges lack of support by the federal�government for this initiative.

Dikshit, 65, is a mother of two who�takes her seven-year-old granddaughter to�public events.
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Ehtasham Khan spoke to Dikshit on the sidelines of a�press conference at her Mathura Road home�to�introduce�rebel Bharatiya Janata Party leaders joining the Congress�party.
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People say you are all set to win the assembly election.

Thanks very much, but it is not just me. All the Congress�chief ministers are set to win. And we are going to�win�next year's Lok Sabha election too.
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What is the basis for�such�confidence?
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Our work is in front of the people. Everybody is�realising the change. Remember what�the condition�of Delhi was five years back and what it is now. Moreover,�the real face of the BJP has been exposed. Their leaders�have been caught taking bribes. The whole nation saw it�on television. What else do you need?

You started your political career in UP. The BJP called�you an outsider during the last election. What is your�association with Delhi?
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I have always been a Delhi girl. I studied at�Convent of Jesus and Mary�and then completed my graduation and post
graduation in history from Miranda House. I have seen Delhi evolving as a�city. I understand the place and the people of Delhi.�When Soniaji (Gandhi)�made me the DPCC (Delhi Pradesh�Congress Committee) chief, I accepted the
responsibility. I have won elections here. I have�contributed in whatever capacities I could have.
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Why would anybody vote for the Congress?
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Our greatest achievement, I would say, is clean�air. Now you are able to breathe easy. The air is�clean and there is� greenery�all around. We�converted 65,000 vehicles to CNG (Compressed Natural�Gas) mode. Delhi is now home to the maximum number of�vehicles running on green fuel in any city in�the�world. Our effort has been recognised the world over. We�got the clean city award in�America a few months back.�People tried their best to derail our work but we were�determined to make a difference.
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About 40 flyovers have become operational. This has�improved the traffic situation.�Flyovers are not�just about roads but it also creates job opportunities�for the poor.�
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We privatised the power distribution system and the power�situation has improved dramatically. Consumption (demand) is�more than supply. Though power theft has�been greatly reduced, there is still scope for�improvement. We will overcome this soon. There is a�three-tier system to deal with power shortages.
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Despite lack of cooperation by the Centre, we made the�Metro dream a reality.
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We introduced the Bhagidari scheme and encouraged�people's participation in government projects. This was in the true spirit of the teachings of Gandhiji and�Nehruji. We came into direct contact with the people.�For example, when we started planting trees along the�banks of the Yamuna and started removing garbage from the�river, I thought�government officials would do�their work and leave. But the people living here will�live here forever. So if they take care of their
neighbourhood, it would sustain for long. And we got�overwhelming response from the people. People�voluntarily came forward to work.
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I want to make Delhi a truly international city.
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But the Yamuna is still a drain despite the millions of�rupees spent on it.
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The Yamuna Action Plan is under the urban development�ministry of the central government. We don't have any say there. The Delhi government�has a department�cleaning the�Yamuna. I�started the Shram�Daan (voluntary work) to start the removal of garbage�from the river.
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My greatest regret is�I have not been�able to do much for the river.
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Why were the BJP and Congress fighting�over taking credit for the�Metro rail?

We worked so hard to make it actually�happen.�When it was completed, the BJP started taking�credit for it. It hurts. When (Madan Lal) Khuranaji�was the chief minister, he�actually put it on�the backburner and instead wanted some other (railway) system,�not the Metro. They (the Centre) made him�chairman of the�Metro flouting all norms. But�people know who did�what.
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The quality of life�in Delhi is still unsatisfactory.�

I have been saying�again and again that the Delhi�government has very little power. We are working in a�limited capacity. The master plan (for the city) is made by the Centre�and we are not even consulted. The other problem is the
non-stop migration of people from other states to�Delhi. We cannot stop people from coming here. They�live on pavements and in slums. The winter is�so�horrifying for these people.�They�don't sleep hungry. They have clothes to wear�and food to eat. The only thing they lack is shelter.�Delhi provides them as much as possible.�
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Delhi is called the 'crime capital of India' with�women being most vulnerable. We know the police is�not under your control, but what have you done as a�woman and as�a chief minister to improve the�situation?�

As a woman I feel bad. When the recent rape case of a foreign�diplomat happened, I was shocked. I have been asking�for complete statehood for�Delhi. Give us�power�and we will show you�the change.
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There are advertisements in the newspapers issued�by some NGOs,�saying you denied�citizens their basic rights by not�providing them adequate water supply.
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Everybody knows who is behind these ads. It is�the BJP's propaganda. We had made additional arrangements�in the summer. The water crisis has been decreasing. The Sonia�Vihar water treatment plant will start in February. It�will solve much of the problem.
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You replaced three�ministers midway through your tenure. You�have a say in every decision. Senior Delhi Congress�leaders like Sajjan Kumar and Chaudhury Prem Singh�have been sidelined. Is it because of your proximity to Sonia Gandhi?
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It's�team work and we�are all working together.
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You are now wooing�BJP leaders and workers to join the Congress.�
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Every day BJP leaders are joining the Congress�because they have been betrayed by their leaders. They�have seen how corrupt the BJP leadership is. People�are joining the Congress�every�day in large numbers.�Madan Lal Khurana will also come very soon (Laughs).
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The BJP has pitted a newcomer�against you. Don't you think it is an unequal fight?
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It is their (BJP's) decision. I wish her (Kirti�Azad's wife Poonam, the BJP candidate) all the best.
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Photograph:�Sondeep Shankar/Saab Press� Image: Uday Kuckian