Providing quality education not a ‘freebie’: Arvind Kejriwal's message to Centre

Arvind Kejriwal, who turned 54 on Tuesday, suggested the Centre should use the Delhi government's expertise instead of criticising it and provide free education and healthcare for the entire country.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday in a message to the central government said that free education and healthcare facilities that the Delhi government provides should not be termed as ‘freebies’. Hailing the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) efforts, Kejriwal said that the central government should use Delhi's expertise to make India's school education and healthcare facilities "number one in the world".

Delhi chief minister Arvind  Kejriwal  (ANI)

Kejriwal, who turned 54 on Tuesday and was wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others, addressed a press conference in the aftermath of a political acrimony over the issue of freebies as the BJP accused the AAP in Delhi of using it as a "bait" to trap people for votes. “I offer the central government to use our services. Keep politics aside. Use our services – you, we and 130 crore Indians will together improve all schools. All (state) governments will do it together. And stop calling this a freebie, providing quality education isn't a freebie,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in his address.

“We will also have to make arrangements for quality and free medical treatment (in the country). We've done this in Delhi within 5 years, all 2.5 crore people of Delhi have access to free medical treatment,” the Delhi chief minister said, adding, “If Delhi govt can do it, it can be done across the nation too”.

Last month, PM Modi, at the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, had cautioned people against the "revdi culture" – using it as a metaphor for freebies – to woo voters, calling it a "very dangerous" move for the development of the country.

Kejriwal also said that his aim behind offering the free services is to make every poor citizen in the country rich.

“I have just one aim in my life, while I am alive, I want to see India as the number one country in the world," Kejriwal said, giving examples of developed nations like the United States, England, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden who give free and quality education and health services to their citizens.

“We all want India to be a rich country and this can be done only when every citizen of the country becomes rich. I want to make every poor rich,” he said.