Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asserted that free education and healthcare are not freebies and said if people are given access to them, India can become the top country in the world. He was speaking on the occasion of the country’s Independence Day at the national Capital’s Chhatrasal stadium.
Kejriwal stated that education and access to healthcare are not freebies or ‘free ki revdi’ and poverty can be eradicated from country if we are able to provide quality education to all.
“With folded hands, I want to underline that education is not a freebie. Parents, if they have to, may skip one meal but they would provide good education for their child. Parents don’t give a freebie to the child but to secure their future. These 27crore kids are our kids, all of us Indians can eat less but we should resolve to give quality education to children. More than 39 developed countries became rich because they provided good education to their children. We too can remove poverty from our country if we are able to provide free quality education to all,” he added.
There has been political acrimony over the issue of freebies with the BJP accusing Kejriwal of using it as a "bait" to trap people for power. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after inaugurating the Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, cautioned people against what he called the "revdi culture" of offering freebies for garnering votes and said it is "very dangerous" for the development of the country.
Modi had used 'revdi' as a metaphor for freebies being promised by some parties to woo voters and said the people, especially the youth, should guard against it.
"On average, we are spending `2,000 for the healthcare of every Delhiite. We can arrange for good healthcare facilities in `2.5 lakh crore for 130 crore Indians. We can open world-class mohalla clinics and hospitals in five years," he added.
Kejriwal said the country's 130 crore people need to come together and resolve to make India the number one country in the world. "We came together and chased the Britishers out. Today, if we come together, we can make India the top country in the world," he said.
Explaining his vision for India of the future, the chief minister laid stress on education and health, citing the two words 50 and 30 times, respectively, in his 40-minute speech. At the event where thousands of children were invited, Kejriwal said the country's 130 crore people need to come together and resolve to make India the number one country in the world.
"We came together and chased the Britishers out. Today, if we come together, we can make India the top country in the world," he said. Lamenting that many nations like Singapore that got independence after India or were destroyed during Second World War have surpassed it, the Delhi chief minister reiterated that education and healthcare are key to becoming a rich country.