Kejriwal repeats claim BJP will end freebies in Delhi

Kejriwal accuses BJP of planning to end Delhi's welfare schemes, urging voters to reject them in the upcoming elections. BJP calls these claims false.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday reiterated his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that they will shut down all the current schemes with the people of Delhi such as subsidised electricity, water, bus rides, and other welfare schemes.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. (AAP-X)

The Delhi assembly elections are scheduled to take place on February 5.

Kejriwal was addressing a series of public gatherings in south west Delhi’s Matiala, Palam, and Bijwasan on Monday. “The BJP has already announced that if they come to power, they will end free electricity, water, government schools, Mohalla Clinics, and free bus travel for women. Every family will face an additional burden of about ₹30,000 per year if the BJP comes to power. The common people are already struggling, and ₹30,000 is often more than a family’s total monthly income,” he said, at a rally in Matiala assembly constituency, adding that the BJP will send the tax money to its billionaire friends instead of providing benefits to the people.

The BJP has also repeatedly rejected the allegations as “false and baseless,” saying that all welfare schemes will continue if the BJP comes to power.

The AAP chief reiterated the party’s manifesto promise that inflated water bills will be waived off if the party comes to power. “Until a year ago, your water bills were zero. But they falsely implicated me in a case and sent me to jail. When I returned, I found that they had conspired with the LG and started sending water bills amounting to thousands and lakhs of rupees…Don’t worry about paying those bills,” he said.

During the public gatherings, the former CM reminded the people of the ₹2,100 monthly allowances to women, free treatment for elderly in government and private hospitals, free bus rides for students, 50% discount on metro for students; free electricity-water benefit for tenants, funds to RWAs to hire private security, 24x7 water supply to all households if the party comes back to power.

In response to common complaints in Delhi over flowing sewer lines, he said, “We will replace all old sewer lines within 18 months so that people don’t face these problems anymore.”

The BJP Lok Sabha MP and manifesto committee chairman Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said Kejriwal is trying to mislead the people of Delhi. “PM Narendra Modi, union minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief JP Nadda have said that all public welfare schemes currently going on in Delhi will continue when the BJP wins the elections. Kejriwal is trying to mislead the people because he knows that he is going to lose the assembly election badly. AAP’s entire election campaign is based on lies,” Bidhuri said.