Sisodia to be my deputy CM, says Kejriwal at Delhi rally

Kejriwal urged voters to choose AAP’s welfare schemes over BJP's potential ₹25,000 monthly burden, promising reforms and addressing local issues.

With the Delhi assembly elections round the corner, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday addressed public gatherings at various places in the city, urging people to choose “welfare-centric schemes over an additional burden of around ₹25,000 per month” which they will have to face if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power.

Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in New Delhi. (PTI)

“If the BJP comes to power, families will face an additional financial burden of ₹25,000 every month, making life unaffordable for the common citizen,” he said at a rally in Jangpura constituency, where he was speaking for the party’s candidate candidate Manish Sisodia. Kejriwal also announced that if the AAP is voted to power, Sisodia will be appointed as the deputy chief minister (CM) of Delhi.

“I have chosen my closest aide, Manish Sisodia so he can execute all schemes that were stuck here and work for the people here and bring new projects to the area,” the AAP convener said.

Referring to the governance model, he said ensuring 24x7 electricity was one of his biggest achievements in the last 10 years – one the BJP has not been able to replicate in any of the 20 states it currently rules. “Till 2014, power cuts – six to eight hours long -- were fairly common. The BJP has ruled in Gujarat for 30 years and still there are hour long power cuts,” Kejriwal said, also talking of the low electricity bills in Delhi.

“In comparison, people in Uttar Pradesh are getting monthly bills of ₹4,000 to 5,000. If you press the ‘jhadu’ button, you will get electricity throughout the day and free. If you choose ‘kamal’ and vote for them, you may not have any electricity by the time you get home and your monthly bills will be around ₹5,000,” he said.

He then reiterated the claim that the BJP will shut down all welfare schemes currently functional in the Capital, like the Mohalla Clinics, free education in government schools, free bus rides, and nominal water bills.

“Tell me, what problem do they (BJP) have with this? Over five crore people have been treated there (Mohalla Clinics) in the last three years. For two children’s education, that’s ₹10,000 saved, ₹5,000 saved from electricity bills, ₹5,000 from free healthcare, ₹2,500 from free buses and ₹2,000 from water bills — it is at least ₹20,000–22,000 saved monthly. All of these savings are because of us..” Kejriwal said.

Further, he acknowledged that residents have been complaining about sewage problems and these are being taken care of. “I’ve learned that several sewer lines in Delhi have become outdated. We will replace all old sewer lines on a war footing so that people don’t face these problems anymore. We will also provide funds to RWAs to hire security guards. Another issue is that the poor haven’t been able to get ration cards for years. After winning the elections, we’ll ensure that all eligible people receive ration cards so they can access their entitlements,” Kejriwal assured, adding tackling unemployment was another focus area for the party if re-elected.