In Delhi rallies, Kejriwal says BJP will end free schemes; BJP calls him liar

The AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister addressed three rallies on Saturday – in Narela, Rohini and Dwarka

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday reiterated his claim that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power following the February 5 election, it will end the AAP’s free electricity scheme and shut mohalla clinics. Kejriwal addressed three rallies on Saturday – in Narela, Rohini and Dwarka.

Former Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. (PTI)

The BJP hit back saying that Kejriwal was telling lies.

“Ten years ago there used to be power cuts of six to eight hours, and inverters and generators were a necessity. But now Delhi gets 24-hour uninterrupted electricity...if you press the wrong button (on EVM), Delhi will again face long power cuts. If you press the lotus button (BJP’s symbol), as soon as you reach home, you’ll find the electricity gone. But if you press the ‘jhadu’ button, the electricity will continue 24 hours a day,” Kejriwal said in a public meeting in Narela where he appealed to people to vote for the AAP.

“In Delhi 200 units of electricity are free. Even if you consume 400 units in Delhi, the bill comes to ₹800. In Uttar Pradesh if you use 400 units, the bill is ₹4,000. If you press the wrong button, you’ll get an electricity bill of ₹4,000 and Delhi will no longer be livable for you. But if you press the ‘jhadu’ button (AAP’s symbol), you’ll get free 24-hour electricity supply,” he added.

In a rally in Rohini, Kejriwal said that every household in Delhi saves ₹20,000–22,000 per month due to the AAP’s schemes. “But if the BJP government comes to power running your household will become impossible. You’ll have to leave Delhi—it won’t remain livable anymore. It will become so expensive that managing household expenses will be out of reach,” Kejriwal said.

He said that the AAP government will provide ₹2,100 monthly allowances to women. He claimed that the BJP, which has also promised a monthly allowance of ₹2,500 to women, will not give it.

He reiterated the promises the AAP has made such as waiving inflated water bills, give funds to RWAs to hire private security guards for security, ₹2,100 monthly allowances to women, free healthcare scheme for elders, free bus travel for male students and 50% Metro discount for students, and free electricity-water benefit for tenants. He also promised that if the AAP returned to power, it will provide jobs to unemployed people.

Hitting back, Delhi BJP MP and chairman of its manifesto committee, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda have clarified that all welfare schemes will continue in Delhi if the BJP comes to power. “In our manifesto it has been clarified that the BJP government will not only continue the existing public welfare schemes but also make them more effective by eliminating corruption in these schemes,” said Bidhuri.

Kejriwal promises to overhaul sewer lines

In a press conference earlier in the day, Kejriwal said that the AAP government has installed new sewer lines across most of Delhi over last 10 years, and in the next five years it will ensure every part of Delhi has a fully upgraded sewer system.

“When our government was formed for the first time in 2015, we inherited several problems, one of the major ones being the issue of sewer systems. Over the past 10 years, we have laid sewer pipelines on a large scale in almost all neighbourhoods. After laying the pipelines we are now working to connect every household to the sewer system...all old sewer pipelines will be replaced on war footing to permanently resolve sewer-related issues for people. Sewer lines have been laid in almost all neighbourhoods and now these pipelines are being connected to households,” Kejriwal said.