AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal Sunday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free electricity in the 22 BJP-ruled states before the Delhi Assembly elections and promised to campaign for the saffron party if this demand is fulfilled.
Kejriwal dared the BJP to hold the Delhi Assembly elections along with those in Jharkhand and Maharashtra in November and said the AAP is ready for it.
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Addressing a public gathering at ‘Janta Ki Adalat’, Kejriwal accused the BJP’s “double engine” governments of failing in states and predicted the party’s ouster from Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.
“Double engine governments mean inflation, corruption, and unemployment,” he said, adding, “the exit polls show that the BJP’s double engine governments will soon collapse in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.”
During his speech, Kejriwal held a packet containing six ‘revris’ (sweets) and said that each “revri” symbolised the six free services provided by his government — free electricity, water, bus rides for women, pilgrimage for the elderly, healthcare, and education.
He announced that the same packets would be distributed to the public and urged them to treat it as “prasad”. “When you return home, perform ‘puja’ with this and share it with others,” he told the gathering.
“If by mistake you vote for the BJP, all your six benefits will vanish,” the former chief minister warned and alleged that if the BJP comes to power, services such as the DTC, government schools, and hospitals would be handed over to private entities.
“Modi Ji, there are elections in Delhi in February. BJP is in power in 22 states. Make electricity free in these states, I will campaign for Modi Ji in the Delhi elections,” he said.
Kejriwal claimed the BJP government has failed in Haryana, saying, “No one in Haryana is letting them enter their villages. People are resisting them.”
He also described the BJP’s handling of the Manipur situation as disastrous, accusing them of allowing the state to burn for seven years under their rule.
The AAP supremo labelled the BJP’s “double engine” model as “double loot and double corruption” and also accused it of being anti-poor while citing the removal of bus marshals and data entry operators, as well as the halting of home guards’ salaries in Delhi.
“Fear God; shame on you. He will punish you,” Kejriwal said, accusing the BJP of affecting the livelihoods of many in the national capital.
“There is no democracy in Delhi; it’s under LG’s rule,” Kejriwal alleged and vowed to free the city from “LG Raj” and get full statehood.
Alleging that his insulin stopped in jail, he said, “My kidney could have failed, and I could have died.”
The AAP supremo accused the BJP of deliberately targeting AAP workers and leaders while ignoring critical issues like law and order in Delhi.
Kejriwal also took a jab at Modi’s alleged “close ties” with big corporates and said, “Modi ji has a friend who gets all the contracts from the Centre.”
“I have only worked for the people; I did not do it for myself or my family. I never gave a ticket to my son; I gave it to your children,” Kejriwal said, claiming the free public services provided under his government will be stopped by the BJP if they are elected to power in the city.
“I pledge to liberate Delhi from the rule of the rich,” he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Oct 06 2024 | 5:00 PM IST
