Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said his government’s schemes for free education, health care and electricity are not “freebies” but efforts to lay the foundation for making India the number one country in the world.
His remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned people against what he called was a “revri culture” of offering freebies for winning votes. “This ‘revri culture’ is very dangerous for the development of the country. People, especially the youth, need to guard against this culture,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Kejriwal, without naming anyone, said some political leaders are running a “hate campaign” against him and accusing him of distributing freebies.
“Free ki revri”, said the Chief Minister, is when politicians write off thousands of crores of loans “to help their friends” and “broker tenders for a select group of capitalists” from foreign governments.
“Delhi is the only city across the globe where a population of over two crore gets free treatment. Over 45,000 senior citizens have availed free Tirth Yatra in Delhi,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
‘I don’t spend on planes’
“Those who abuse me for welfare schemes have themselves spent thousands of crores on aeroplanes; Kejriwal doesn’t buy aeroplanes, he spends the money on making travel free for women. If God is willing, we will provide free education and free health care to the whole country one day,” he said.
The Chief Minister asked whether sending children of the poor to world-class schools and educating them for free was comparable to freebies. “Eighteen lakh children study in Delhi government schools... Our schools have recorded a passing percentage of 99 for the first time. Today, underprivileged children of Delhi are clearing IIT-JEE and NEET,” he said.
Talking about public welfare in Delhi, he said, “Today, AAP governments give 200 units of free power in Delhi and 300 free units in Punjab. The Opposition always asks why does Kejriwal give free electricity. I want to ask, how much free electricity do you Ministers get? Don’t you all get 4,000-5,000 units of free electricity? But if the poor get to sleep under a fan in peace for free, it becomes ‘free ki revri’.”
Mr. Kejriwal asserted his academic credentials and explained the economics of his free welfare schemes. “I have a degree in engineering, I have also studied accounting, I have also studied law; the degree is real, it is not a fake one either. I understand everything; today after making so many things free for the people, the budget of Delhi is still in profit,” he said, adding that “the country needs to decide whether it wants honest politics or corrupt politics”.
Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri accused Mr. Kejriwal of distorting facts and using the Prime Minister’s comments for self-promotion.
“The Prime Minister did not name anyone while saying that the trend of distributing freebies is dangerous in the context that such a trend is fatal for the economy of the country, but Kejriwal has said he is being abused,” he said.
‘CM taking credit’
“Kejriwal is taking credit for providing free education and health facilities in Delhi, but he is forgetting the fact that free education is provided in government schools and government hospitals across the country,” Mr. Bidhuri said.
As far as health care is concerned, the BJP leader said, the people of Delhi have not forgotten how the infrastructure “crumbled” during the COVID waves.
“If the Central government had not come forward to help the people of Delhi at that time, the whole of Delhi would have become a mess,” he said.
“Kejriwal is so nervous about the schemes of the Centre that to date he has not allowed many schemes, including the Ayushman Yojana and housing schemes for the poor, to be implemented,” he said.
