Onions first, says beaming Swaraj

NEW DELHI, October 11: Amidst bouquets, well-wishers and supporters, Delhi's new Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj talked about onions. ``I wi...

NEW DELHI, October 11: Amidst bouquets, well-wishers and supporters, Delhi’s new Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj talked about onions. “I will sell onions at Rs 5 in Delhi,” she told her cheering supporters. “Sushma Swaraj layee pyaaz is the new slogan doing the rounds,” she adds, beaming.

Her supporters promptly tell her that ever since she was tipped to become chief minister, onion prices have come tumbling down. They seemed convinced that it had nothing to do with the imports. Getting a little carried away, Swaraj went on to say that selling onions at Rs 2 was also not impossible. The cheery talk continued through the day as supporters called on the lady in the hot seat.

Withholding her comments on the details of this change, Swaraj said: “Decisions are made according to election strategies and this one is along the same lines,” she said. When asked whether Sahib Singh Verma was not capable of winning the elections for them, she replied: “This decision is not short-term, it has future implications. The BJP was going to win the elections under Sahib Singh in any case”.

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She went on to assure her supporters that starting yesterday, all her prior engagements had been put on hold and she would devote most of her time in the city. State ministers S.P. Ratawal and Harsharan Singh Balli nodded in agreement.

Taking charge, Swaraj also assured a delegation of primary teachers that their demands will be met at the earliest. “I am not going to pass the buck in any issue,” she assured the teachers. “After all, the government at the Centre is also our own”.