Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said his party will contest all 90 Assembly seats in Haryana on its own with the aim of forming the next government, but the Lok Sabha election will be fought as part of the INDIA bloc.
“Today people only have trust in one party, which is AAP. Haryana is seeking a big change. In Delhi and Punjab, people made this big change and now people there are happy,” he said at the party’s ‘Badlaav Jansabha’ in Jind.
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He said AAP has the largest organisation in Haryana with over 1.25 lakh office-bearers and it was made possible in just six months, indicating that the State wants a change. Mr. Kejriwal, a native of Bhiwani’s Siwani village, referred to himself as “son of Haryana” more than once.
He said the people of the State are “fed up” with all the parties that ruled here. They have tested all the other parties and they have only filled their own coffers, the AAP chief said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party coalition is in power in Haryana and its led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal.
Only AAP can provide round-the-clock power supply and zero electricity bills like it has done in Delhi and Punjab, Mr. Kejriwal said. “Can the Congress, the BJP, and the JJP do this? They cannot. I can do this because I am educated. My degree too is not fake. It is genuine. Vote for an educated person this time,” Mr. Kejriwal said without naming anyone.
The AAP national convener said he was pained to see unemployed youth being sent to Israel for work. “Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has given 42,000 government jobs in two years. We know how to give jobs. Mr. Lal should better quit if he can’t give jobs to the youth,” he said.
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Targeting the BJP-led Centre, the Delhi CM accused it of using all its might to arrest him and said he is not scared of going to jail. He said he had joined politics not for power, and was ready to quit if political parties could ensure quality education, affordable health services, employment to all, round-the-clock power supply and control inflation.
“I am not scared of going to jail. I belong to Haryana. I want to tell them that do not try to scare a ‘Haryanawala’. I am the son of Haryana,” he said.
‘Here to serve’
The AAP leader asserted that he is a “staunch Ram bhakt”, “nationalist” and “brutally honest”.
Mr. Kejriwal added that all his party members are devotees of Lord Hanuman and the party is running its governments in Delhi and Punjab on the principles of Lord Ram. “We are not here for power, but to serve,” he said.
Published - January 29, 2024 02:15 am IST