New Delhi: Delhi chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday unveiled “Kejriwal ki Guarantee,” outlining 10 priority initiatives to be executed, including the attainment of statehood for the national capital, ensuring 24/7 power supply and implementing free education nationwide, if the INDIA bloc forms government at the Centre.
The guarantees include the promise to “free Indian land from Chinese occupation” and give two-crore jobs to the youth of the country in one year. The AAP chief also promised to end the Agniveer scheme and ensure that farmers get MSP for their crops as per the Swaminathan Commission’s report.
The Delhi chief minister said people will have to choose between “Modi ki Guarantee” and “Kejriwal ki Guarantee”.
“The latter is a brand… The AAP has fulfilled its ‘guarantees’ of free power, good schools and mohalla clinics in Delhi and Punjab… Mr Modi has not fulfilled his guarantees,” he claimed.
Dubbing the BJP as the biggest reason behind “corruption” in the country, Mr Kejriwal said: “The system where honest people are being sent to jail and the corrupt are being protected will end… Like we attacked corruption at the lower and higher levels in Delhi and Punjab, we will attack it across the country as well.”
Mr Kejriwal then went on to issue an apology to the INDIA alliance partners for not discussing it with them before announcing the promises. He said: “I apologise to all my INDIA bloc alliance partners for not discussing this with them before announcing the guarantees. I don’t have time because the elections are half done. But I am sure they will not object to the opening of schools and hospitals. I will press upon my INDIA bloc partners to fulfill these guarantees.”
The Opposition bloc, comprising parties such as the AAP, the Congress, the Trinamul Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, among others, as its members, was formed to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha polls. A day after his release from jail on interim bail, Mr Kejriwal said on Saturday that the INDIA bloc will form the next government and AAP will be part of it.
On being asked about his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi retiring at the age of 75, Mr Kejriwal said: “I said that he made this rule himself in 2014 that after the age of 75, no one will get any responsibilities… I said he will also retire in 2025 as per this rule… Many BJP leaders said that that rule does not apply to Modi Ji... I’m sure the PM will not stop it from being implemented in his case as well… Let the PM say that this rule does not apply to me, that it was made for Advani ji. I don’t think the PM will say this.”
Elaborating on the “Kejriwal ki Guarantee”, the AAP supremo promised to provide full statehood to Delhi. “The BJP inducts all corrupt people into their party. The BJP's washing machine will be dismantled publicly. We will come up with a system for hassle-free trade and business in the country,” he said.
Mr Kejriwal claimed that his third guarantee is to improve the country's health sector. He declared that mohalla clinics will be started in every corner of the country.
He said: “If the people of my country are healthy, it will take the country forward… Mohalla clinics will be started in villages and every corner of the country. The district hospitals will be turned into multi-speciality hospitals, as good as private hospitals. The treatment in these hospitals will be free for anyone born in the country… There will be no insurance. This is a big scam. We will create health infrastructure in all parts of the country. This also requires an expenditure of `5-lakh crores -- half borne by the Centre, half by the state.”
On the education sector, Mr Kejriwal said, “No country can grow and succeed until its children receive quality education… Presently, the condition of our schools is poor. Over 18-crore children study in 10-lakh schools across the country and they have no future. In Delhi and Punjab, we have demonstrated that we can bring about change. We are committed to doing so across the country… This will cost `5-lakh crores. Half will be spent by the Centre and half by the states.”
Announcing his fourth guarantee, Mr Kejriwal said, “The country is above all else. China has encroached on our land. Whenever we ask the Centre, it says no one has come into our land; nothing has happened. Everyone knows that China has encroached. Hiding it will not solve the problem. Our Army is very strong; give them the independence to do their job. For this, diplomatic efforts will be made and the army will be given complete independence."
Mr Kejriwal also vowed to scrap the Agniveer scheme. He said: The Agniveer scheme, wherein youth are inducted into the Army for four years and then asked to leave. There is no ownership…This is bad for the armed forces as well as for the young people who are joining. All those who have been inducted through this scheme will be made permanent. This contractual system will stop… This scheme was brought in because the Central felt that the burden of salaries was too high. We have to spend for the country’s security. We can’t compromise.”
On his sixth guarantee, Mr Kejriwal said: “You can ensure a respectable life for farmers if you pay them the fair price for their crops. They are begging, they are asking for their rights. When they don’t get the right price for their hard work, they commit suicide. If you pay them a fair price, farmers don’t need anything else. MSP for crops will be based on the Swaminathan report.”
Mr Kejriwal announced his final guarantee for traders across the country. “If traders can’t conduct business easily and openly, it is a significant impediment to the country’s progress. No jobs can be generated. Data shows that over the past 8-10 years, 12-lakh high-net-worth individuals have shut down businesses here and left the country because the government has harassed them,” he said.
The Delhi CM said: “GST will be removed from the ambit of PMLA; it will be simplified, and all administrative and legal provisions will be streamlined. If someone wants to conduct business in a lawful manner, they should be able to do so without any problems. Our target is to surpass China, which is far ahead in manufacturing and trade across the country."
