Kejriwal promises ₹1k monthly stipend for women in Gujarat

Speaking at a town hall event in Ahmedabad, AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal also took a snipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the culture of freebies in the country’s politics

Aam Aadmi Party convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a monthly stipend of ₹1,000 for women in Gujarat above the age of 18, if the party is voted to power in the assembly elections due later this year.

AAP boss and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.(ANI)

This was the fifth “guarantee” Kejriwal has announced as part of his ongoing poll campaign.

Speaking at a town hall event in Ahmedabad, Kejriwal also took a snipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the culture of freebies in the country’s politics. “Today, we have come to give the fifth guarantee. It is for the women of Gujarat. Our guarantee is that every woman above 18 years of age will get ₹1,000 in their bank account. This is not a revdi (freebie), it is their right. People’s money should go to the people, not in the Swiss bank,” said Kejriwal.

“Some people ask why women are to be given ₹1,000 every month. I know many such daughters who are above 18 years of age, who are good at studies and who have secured admission in a college but do not have money to attend it. As a result, they have to drop out. There are many daughters who do not have money to pay the fees in college, and because of this, they miss their studies. This money will help them in completing their education,” he said.

So far, Kejriwal has promised free electricity up to 300 units to each family and ₹3,000 per month to unemployed youths, among other things, if the AAP comes to power in the state.

Talking to reporters on the issue of freebies after arriving at the airport, Kejriwal said, “There is a case going on in this connection in the Supreme Court and AAP will present its side. After 75 years of independence in this country, if someone says that giving free education is ‘free ki Revdi’, then where will the children of our poor go to study? If they close all government schools and pay money to teach a child in a private school instead of giving free education, then how will a child of a rickshaw driver, a farmer’s child, or a poor person’s child get education?”

Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas said that the Delhi CM should not make promises without looking at ground reality. “There are hardly 3,900 government schools in Delhi as compared to more than 33,000 government schools in Gujarat, where nearly 52 lakh students’ study for free from classes 1-8. Gujarat government is setting up 20,000 schools of excellence (SoE) in the next five years, for which the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have sanctioned funds worth ₹10,000 crore. In the last two years, about 3.25 lakh students from private schools of Gujarat have switched to government schools.”