With her personal touch and easy access she dominated Delhi politics
For most of her fifteen-year tenure as Chief Minister of Delhi, I had closely watched and reported on Sheila Dikshit and her style of politics, as a journalist. She dominated the political horizon of Delhi as never before and although attacked as a new-comer and an outsider to Delhi, she proved pundits wrong on the political chessboard with her deft political acumen.
It was all but evident that those who had been active in Delhi local politics for years wanted to outmaneuver her, be it Jagdish Tytler, R. K. Dhawan or Sajjan Kumar , but Sheila Dikshit with her staying prowess and her determination to make Delhi the most elegant capital of the world, outsmarted them.
It was this determination that transformed the face of Delhi development and changed the contours of the capital city of India. “My dream is to make Delhi as the best capital of the world and I am confident to make the quality of life of everyone in Delhi much better,” she told me on the completion of her first year in office.
Political campaigns against her in the party did not deter her determination. She unfolded her plan, Green buses to replace diesel fueled public transport, metro to link every major locality of the capital, more flyovers to give the capital a seamless driving experience and a green Delhi by plantation of trees.
“You see I have increased the green cover of Delhi by more than 50 percent through special drives of tree plantation taken up by the students and resident welfare associations.”
Another campaign to cut down the pollution level of Delhi was the crackdown on firecrackers used during the Indian festival of Diwali. “Almost all children in school have signed a petition to make Diwali a smokeless affair.”
The greatest political achievement of Sheila Dikshit was the way she totally decimated BJP in the capital for most of the term she stayed in office. The BJP which was once the major political force in the capital steadily lost ground as Sheila Dikshit unveiled her plan.
Elected for the first time as chief minister in 1998, she repeated the performance in 2003 and again in 2008.
As the Congress began to lose its grip during the UPA2 government the impact was felt in the state politics. The Commonwealth Games scam had hit the credibility of the Delhi government.
Then the emergence of Aam Aadmi party and the support of youngsters it enjoyed was a blow to her as it came during the end of her fifteen-year tenure. Sheila Dikshit herself lost the election in 2013 and so did her party. After fifteen years in office, Sheila Dikshit could not make it for the fourth time.
The greatest achievement of her government came when the Indian government decided to showcase Delhi as the venue for the Asian Games at the ,meeting of OCA held in Kuwait. Sheila Dikshit traveled to Kuwait and gave a fascinating address showcasing the world of opportunity that Delhi could offer for the Games
Indian however lost the bid to South Korea, with her personal touch that she was so well known; she made it a point to call personally on many of the Indians in Kuwait.
It was this personal touch and her easy access to people that marked her political persona and for which she would be always remembered.
S A H RIZVI
