New Delhi: Blowing the election bugle in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeted Narendra Modi (Narendra Modi) over the arrest of his colleagues and said that the country needs an “educated prime minister”.
Speaking at a ‘Jansabha’ meeting here, he promised free electricity, education and health facilities if his party came to power in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, where assembly elections are due by the end of the year.
He was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Kejriwal said, “The people of Madhya Pradesh have given enough opportunities to both the Congress and the BJP, which ruled the state for 45 and 30 years respectively. Just give AAP a chance and like Delhi and Punjab, we will provide free electricity, education and health facilities to the people of the state.”
He then referred to the arrest of his party colleague and former Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia by the Central Bureau of Investigation in an alleged corruption case.
He said, “The day the Prime Minister sent Manish Sisodia to jail, I felt that it is absolutely necessary to have an educated Prime Minister in the country to understand the importance of education.”
Taking a jibe at Modi’s appeal to beat plates (to express solidarity with health workers) during the COVID-19 crisis, Kejriwal further said, “If the prime minister is less educated, someone comes to him and tries to beat people.” gives advice.” He got people to do this, but did the coronavirus run away? That’s why it is necessary for the Prime Minister to be educated.
Criticizing the Prime Minister over the arrest of Sisodia and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Kejriwal said the two have transformed the education and health sectors in the national capital.
“But the Prime Minister did not like it as it was against the interests of private players,” he alleged.
The AAP leader claimed that Modi would not put corrupt BJP leaders behind bars.
Referring to the ‘Vyapam scam’ related to admissions in medical colleges and recruitment in government jobs in Madhya Pradesh and the scam in the state’s Women and Child Development Department, Kejriwal said no one was sent to jail in these cases.
Kejriwal claimed that AAP formed governments in Delhi and Punjab and got 14 per cent vote share in Gujarat and hence the BJP started slinging mud at him.
Referring to the work done by his arrested colleagues, he said, “Does a corrupt person build schools and hospitals? Corrupt people destroy government schools and hospitals for the benefit of private players.”
He said that AAP would definitely form the government in Gujarat in 2027.
Criticizing Modi for carrying out demonetisation in 2016, Kejriwal said the PM was “fooled by someone” into believing that it would end corruption and terrorism. The AAP leader asked whether corruption and terrorism really ended after that.
He said that a learned Prime Minister has knowledge of economy, technology and science.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP will come to power even if the people voted for the Congress, Kejriwal said in an apparent reference to the fall of the Congress government in 2020 following defection of MLAs.
Kejriwal said, “Now people have an alternative in the form of you. Give you a chance once, if we do not work, I will not come again to ask for your vote.”
He said that the beginning has been made in Singrauli with the victory of AAP’s mayoral candidate Rani Agarwal.
Punjab Chief Minister Mann highlighted his government’s achievements like setting up of 500 Mohalla Clinics in one year and providing free treatment.
Mann claimed that Sisodia was jailed because he was educating people by providing good schools, which was not in the interest of the BJP.
He alleged that Jain was arrested because he was building good hospitals in Delhi to provide free quality treatment to the people which was against the interests of private players.
On Congress, he said, “Congress is not a party of change, but is now an exchange where MLAs are sold.”
Mann said that free electricity, education and health facilities cannot be called free as they are being provided from the increased revenue.
(with agency inputs)