'Hurdles' eliminated with NDA ouster: Sheila Dikshit

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who has been at loggerheads with the Vajpayee government over division of State and Central powers, today said the assumption of power by a Congress-led coalition at the Centre would help eliminate the "hurdles" in her government's way.

Elated at her party's electoral victories across the country and the wresting of six of seven Lok Sabha seats from BJP in Delhi, she said the results demonstrated that people had seen through the "false claims of NDA government".

"Installation of a Congress-led government at the Centre will mean that we will not face any hurdles now," said Dikshit, who has been taking on the Vajpayee government for allegedly curbing its powers. One of the most famous spats between the two was over credit for the new Metrol Rail project in the capital.

She alleged NDA had only made tall claims but done nothing on the ground. "Their claim about feel-good was nowhere to be found. Otherwise the BJP would not have got such a drubbing," Dikshit said.

On the issue of prime ministership, Dikshit said the party wanted its president Sonia Gandhi to lead the country but the matter had to be worked out in consultation with coalition partners.

About the party's performance in Delhi where BJP had bagged all seven seats in last 1999 elections, she said the party had failed to wrest South Delhi constituency because of  "lack of coordination". She admitted she had had doubts about Delhi Sadar, Outer Delhi and New Delhi constituencies but that these had proved to be false