Delhi Election 2025: Former Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of copying Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) pre-poll promises in its manifesto for upcoming elections in the national capital.
The AAP chief asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi should accept that he was wrong when he said ‘revdis’ or freebies announced before elections were harmful.
“If you sum up BJP's manifesto, it says whatever Kejriwal is doing is good. The BJP appreciates Kejriwal's work. And if Delhi voters give them (BJP) a chance, they will continue Kejriwal's work. People are asking them what's their vision for Delhi? They want to contest elections on our guarantees. I have never seen a party without any vision,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal's remarks came soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto promising ₹2,500 per month to women, among other sops, if it comes to power in the upcoming assembly elections in the national capital.
The scheme is a clear counter to the ruling AAP's ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’—the scheme that promises ₹2,100 a month for women in the national capital. The Congress party has also promised ₹2,500-a-month cash scheme for women if it comes to power in the national capital.
“Today, BJP's national president JP Nadda announced many freebies in the party's ‘Sankalp Patra’. I want to ask him if PM Modi agrees with the freebies,” Kejriwal said.
The saffron party has also promised a subsidy of ₹500 on LPG cylinders and one free cylinder each during Holi and Diwali, apart from ₹21,000 to pregnant women if voted to power in the national capital.
Apart from ₹2,500 per month to women in Delhi under the ‘Mahila Samridhi Scheme’ if it wins the upcoming Assembly Elections, the saffron party promised a subsidy of ₹500 on LPG cylinders and one free cylinder each during Holi and Diwali.
“PM has said many times that freebies (revdi) are not good for the country. He has accused me of distributing free revdis. Today, BJP's national president announced that it would also distribute Kejriwal's freebies. PM Modi should now say that he was wrong and Kejriwal was right. PM Modi should say that freebies are not harmful to the country but 'prasad' by God,” Kejriwal said in a press conference.
Kejriwal was referring to PM Modi's critical stand on freebies announced before the polls. If the BJP is voted to power, it has promised to continue all existing welfare schemes in Delhi.
The Delhi Election 2025 for 70 assembly seats is scheduled for February 5. The results will be announced on February 8.
The saffron party has not been in power in Delhi for 27 years. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, comfortably won assembly elections in 2015 and 2020. Before that, the Congress was in power from 1998 until 2013.
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