by Ajay Kumar
Lucknow: The announcement for the Delhi Assembly elections has not yet been made, but political activities have intensified. Both BJP and Congress are gearing up for a return to power, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has prepared a strong strategy to retain its power in Delhi for the fourth time. Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, has recently launched an electoral campaign named ‘Rewari Par Charcha’ (Discussion on Freebies). Under this campaign, Kejriwal has offered six free services to the people of Delhi and plans to corner his opponents in the electoral battle.
Through this campaign, Arvind Kejriwal has conveyed the message that the money collected from public taxes belongs to the public, and therefore, the public should benefit from the services funded by this money. He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has repeatedly accused Kejriwal of distributing freebies in Delhi and said that it should be stopped. Kejriwal responded by saying that these are not freebies but schemes funded by taxpayer money, and the public has the right to benefit from them. He stated that it is up to the people of Delhi to decide whether they want to keep these schemes or not, and if the BJP comes to power, they may shut them down.
The Aam Aadmi Party is now running the ‘Rewari Par Charcha’ campaign across Delhi. Kejriwal said that under this campaign, 65,000 meetings will be held, and party workers and volunteers will distribute pamphlets to the people. He also pointed out that these free schemes have not been implemented in BJP-ruled states. He emphasized that they have not distributed public money among their friends but used it to provide facilities to common people.
The six freebies Kejriwal has promised include free electricity, free water, pilgrimage trips for the elderly, free bus rides for women, world-class education, and free medicines and treatment. All these schemes are already in place in Delhi, and now Kejriwal has started the ‘Rewari Par Charcha’ campaign to promote them.
Kejriwal’s move is part of a political strategy. He aims to hit two targets with one move: on one hand, he is trying to corner the BJP on their accusations of promoting a “freebie culture,” and on the other, he is highlighting the achievements of his government to maintain public support. The BJP has always accused AAP of distributing free things to the public as electoral lollipops. Kejriwal has turned this accusation around, explaining that these are taxpayer-funded schemes and not freebies.
However, the past five years have been quite challenging for Kejriwal and his party. Allegations of corruption and the arrest of several key leaders have damaged AAP’s image. Senior leaders like Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia were arrested on corruption charges, which added political pressure on the party. Additionally, the Delhi liquor policy case raised questions about the party’s integrity. Despite these challenges, Kejriwal has faced them head-on and tried to steer the party in a new direction.
To retain power in Delhi for the fourth time, AAP needed several strategies. Kejriwal worked on strengthening his party by bringing leaders from other parties into the fold and fielding strong candidates in constituencies where AAP appeared weak. Now, through the ‘Rewari Par Charcha’ campaign, he is reminding the people of Delhi about the benefits of his schemes and trying to corner the BJP.
In three previous assembly elections, AAP won in Delhi on the issues of free electricity, water, and education, and this time too, Kejriwal has included these issues in his electoral campaign. He believes these issues are highly popular among the public and provide an excellent opportunity to corner the BJP. The BJP has focused on corruption as the main issue, and Kejriwal is using his campaign to counter these accusations.
The political battle in Delhi has become even more challenging for AAP, as the BJP has made corruption a central issue. However, Kejriwal and his party believe that the public will understand the value of their schemes, ensuring their victory in the elections. This time, AAP is preparing to challenge both BJP and Congress with its free schemes. Kejriwal’s campaign could bring a new twist to Delhi’s politics, and it will be interesting to see whom the people of Delhi choose as their next government.
