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Himachal CM taking a leaf from AAP's book: Arvind Kejriwal's dig at BJP
In Delhi, 12 lakh jobs were generated by the government, claimed Arvind Kejriwal in Himachal Pradesh.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur is taking a leaf from the AAP's book, Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday as he took a swipe at the rival BJP in the state, which is set to elect its new government this year. Kejriwal was making a reference to the chief minister's recent promise of 125 free electricity units.
Last week, the CM had said at an event: “All consumers will get 125 units of free electricity. The decision will benefit about 11.5 lakh consumers while putting ₹250 crore extra burden on the state exchequer annually."
Kejriwal said that the big announcement came ahead of his visit to the state. "But soon after he made the announcement, I asked... all the BJP ruled states should do the same... then Thakur got a call by PM (Narendra Modi) and Amit Shah ji, that he should not make such announcements."
Taking a dig, the AAP chief further told the gathering, "In an exam hall, Thakur was sitting behind Kejriwal and he copied from Kejriwal’s paper. We said 300 units free in Delhi, he said 125 units in Himachal. But you need a plan to copy too.” The party has promised 300 free units of electricity in Himachal Pradesh also.
The AAP is eyeing an expansion of its national footprint after winning big in Punjab in March. In Himachal, it has challenged the BJP as it promises to "rid the state of corruption". "Himachal too wants a governmetn lilke Punjab and Delhi. Call up any one in Punjab, there is no corruption in the state any more," Kejriwal declared on Saturday.
"I invite the people of Himachal Pradesh and CM Jairam Thakur to visit Delhi to see the government schools there," he further said.
At the gathering, the AAP chief touched upon the issues that his party has been raising in other states too - education, health and development. He promised to deliver governance that will ensure affordable health care.
