New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday accused Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and the Centre of "crippling" its government in Delhi and relegating the city into the "crime capital" of the world with their "abject failure" in the law and order front.
AAP said the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which puts the number of rape cases in Delhi at 2,199 last year - highest among the union territories - only "vindicates" the party's stand.
Addressing a press conference here, AAP's Delhi Convener Dilip Pandey also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought to know whether he was ready to accept the responsibility for Delhi Police's "dismal performance".
"Does the Prime Minister sleep peacefully at night despite this scary situation? Has 'latsaheb' Jung undertaken any surprise inspection of police stations till date? Have they met any victim of sexual violence till date?" Pandey asked.
Jung and the Centre have made Delhi the crime capital of the world, he alleged.
To a question on Arvind Kejriwal having blamed the Sheila Dikshit government for similar cases despite knowing that law and order in the national capital comes under the Centre's purview, Pandey sought to sidestep it saying the AAP national convener never asked women not to go out at night.
"The AAP government is doing what is possible within the confines of whatever limited jurisdiction it has. We are not absolving it of responsibilities," he said.
"Modiji has implemented the Gujarat model of police in Delhi where the forces are unleashed after political opponents. Police has no time to focus on security as it is busy arresting AAP MLAs. Centre has crippled the AAP government," Pandey alleged.
He claimed that the situation is not likely to change unless Delhi Police is made accountable to the democratically elected government. He demanded that the Lt. Governor and the Union Home Minister be made party to a high-level committee on women safety.
"Just to give an example, Delhi Police has the maximum number of complaints against it in the Public Grievances Management System and most of it goes unattended," Pandey alleged.
