Admitting that his government could not fulfil three guarantees that he had promised in 2020, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday released the party’s manifesto. This is the first time that a political party, contesting the elections in the country, admitted that they could not fulfill their promises. Featuring a road map for the next five year if voted to power in Delhi, the manifesto has a list of 15 assurances, titled “Kejriwal ki guarantees’ - a spin on the BJP’s ‘Modi ki guarantees’.
AAP chief accepted that his government was unable to fulfill three things that they had promised during 2020 Assembly polls, including cleaning of Yamuna, fixing roads and drinking water supply, and further reasoned that it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the alleged fake cases against his senior party leaders and ministers, due to which they had to spend time behind bars and all the work was hindered.
“When we returned to power in 2020, I promised you three things: every household will have 24×7 water supply, Yamuna will be cleaned, and Delhi streets will be of European standards. However, we failed. The COVID-19 Pandemic hit India in March and continued for 2.5 years. After that they [BJP] started jailing my team by implicating us in fake cases. Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh... all were jailed. My team was scattered,” Kejriwal said. He alleged that it was the BJP-led Centre that had jailed him and his top leaders, to disrupt the government’s works, so that the Delhi can be made to look bad in the eyes of people. Kejriwal further assured that now he and his party leaders are out of jail, and will fix everything as soon as the party is re-elected.
Announcing his guarantees to the people of Delhi, Kejriwal said, “Today, we are going to release Kejriwal’s guarantee for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls…Kejriwal’s guarantee means pakki baat. They (BJP) release manifestos and sankalp patras and make promises under many other names…but they don’t fulfil them. Unke liye ye sab chunavi jumle hote hain. The BJP promised to give Rs 15,000. But people never received the money in their accounts. When Amit Shah was asked about this, he said ye sab promises chunavi jumle hain.”
The AAP’s 15 guarantees included jobs to unemployed in next five years, Rs 2,100 monthly allowances to women under Mahila Samman Yojana, free treatment for elderly in private hospitals under Sanjeevani Yojana, Waiver of inflated water bills, 24x7 water supply to all households, Yamuna cleaning, redeveloping roads of Delhi as per European standard, scholarships for Dalit students, free bus rides for male students, Rs 18,000 monthly allowance to Hindu and Sikh priests, extension of free water and electricity to tenants, overhauling of existing sewer lines, ration cards to the needy and funds to resident welfare associations (RWAs) to hire private security.
“However, this is Kejriwal’s Guarantee, not Modi’s. This is a firm guarantee, not a hollow one like theirs. Today, we are announcing 15 Kejriwal Ki Guarantees, which will be fulfilled in the next five years,” he said. He also blamed the BJP for doing something with regard to the water bills, claiming that after he was jailed, behind his back the bills witnessed a sudden spike, and asked people not pay faulty bills, because as soon as his party is re-elected, they will be waived off.
Claiming to be the pioneer in using the ‘guarantee’ concept in politics, Kejriwal also said, the AAP has coined the term ‘guarantee’ first in the country. “After us, the BJP stole it, but the difference is, we fulfil our guarantees, and they do not,” he said.
Promising that the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ will be implemented in the first Cabinet meeting of the new AAP government, Kejriwal said that ‘Jhaadu’ is symbolic of goddess of wealth, Laxmi. “If you press ‘Jhaadu’ button in the EVM and you have around two women in your family you will get additional Rs 4,000 every month, in addition to the saving of Rs 25,000 every month,” Kejriwal said.
