15,000 Closed-Circuit Television Cameras in Delhi for Barack Obama Visit, None for Women's Safety: Arvind Kejriwal

The Union government installed 15,000 cameras across Delhi for US President Barack Obama's visit, but it could not do so for the security of women in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal said today.

Women's security is one of the main poll planks of BJP chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, and the AAP chief chose it to launch an attack on the BJP.

"The BJP thinks women are safest in a locked room," Mr Kejriwal said at a media conference. "The BJP installed 15,000 CCTV cameras for Obama's visit, and now I have heard they are taking them off. They couldn't do it for the women in Delhi."

AAP, he said, wants to give women their due freedom, and it has several plans to enable women to walk safe at any hour of the day and night.

One of these involve a "security button" which women can install on their cellphone. Pressing it will activate an alarm at the local police station. "We will create Wi-Fi zones in Delhi, so these alerts reach the police from anywhere in the city," he said.

If voted to power, AAP will also install street lights in every corner of the city "primarily for the safety of women," Mr Kejriwal said. Besides, every government bus in the city will have a security guard.

"The BJP ministers say women should give birth to 4-5 kids, they say women should not work. Where is BJP taking this country?," Mr Kejriwal said. "The people of Delhi have to choose what model they like".

Last week, Ms Bedi had released a 25-point programme for women's security, that will be based on the "six Ps" she had tweeted about earlier for women's "holistic security" -- people, politicians, police, prosecution, prisons and press, with government as the hub.