'Kejriwal Model hit in Punjab, but Delhi in doldrums under BJP rule'
Chandigarh, July 9 -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi, accusing it of undoing all the good work done by them during their 10-year rule in the national capital.
Lauding the work done by the AAP government in Punjab, Kejriwal said the state will be number one on most parameters by the time the government completes its five-year term.
Addressing a gathering at an event held in Mohali to launch the Punjabi edition of the book "Kejriwal Model", authored by Jasmine Shah, the former Delhi chief minister claimed the BJP-led Delhi administration had ruined the city, stating that after the AAP left office, services had collapsed. "Mohalla Clinics are being shut down, free medicines and tests discontinued, roads broken and the six-hour power cuts are back," he claimed after speaking in detail about the change the "Kejriwal Model" had brought there.
Questioning the motives of BJP leaders, Kejriwal said they were in power not to serve but to profit. "We faced obstacles at every step, yet we delivered. I should get a Nobel Prize in administration for managing to work despite the constant interference of the Lieutenant Governor (in Delhi)," he said.
In February this year, the BJP had ended the AAP's 10-year-rule in Delhi, the city-state where the party was born in 2012 following an anti-corruption agitation.
Recalling his journey from launching a non-governmental organisation to developing the "Kejriwal Model", the AAP leader said this model was not built in boardrooms, but from experiences gained while living and working in Delhi's slums for a decade. "We saw firsthand how bad the condition of government schools, hospitals and electricity was. We entered the government with a simple aim, to ensure every family gets 200 units of free electricity and 20,000 litres of free water. Governance should guarantee basic needs," he said.
Kejriwal stated that this model can only run on honesty. "If a government is corrupt, if its ministers are looting, this model will collapse," he said, adding that the AAP has proven this in Punjab too. "Previous governments claimed the treasury was empty. But we fixed schools, hospitals and gave free electricity because we curbed corruption and saved public money," he said.
Referring to the allegation of promoting "freebie politics", Kejriwal called out other parties, stating that they once promoted privatisation, but now promise 200 units of free electricity too. "We've changed the national political narrative," he emphasised.
The AAP leader claimed that he had no obsession with winning every election, and his goal was to create a model and change the mindset, to prove that public schools, hospitals, electricity, and water can be fixed with the right intent.
Kejriwal said Punjab had become number one in education, improved the availability of irrigation water from 21% area to 63%, undertaken a massive anti-drug drive among other things in the first three years.
Rebutting the Opposition's charge of Delhi leadership calling the shots in Punjab, Kejriwal said if one learnt from each other's experience, the country would progress faster. "These opposition leaders keep saying Delhi wale, Delhi wale. What about Delhi? If there is something to learn from Canada, America, Germany or Japan, we will bring experts from there for Punjab's progress. We want the progress of Punjab," he said with Mann clapping in support.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said they had benefited immensely in Punjab from the "Kejriwal Model". "People were earlier unaware of what governments could do for them. We were only told about sewer lines and cremation grounds. Now, thanks to the 'Kejriwal Model', people know that governments can give good education, jobs and healthcare. It took them one year to build 10 mohalla clinics whereas we set up 500 in one year. They gained experience, we used it," he said, citing the "knowledge sharing" experience
Mann recalled his passion for reading and said books leave a lasting impact. "Every book tells a story and every writer has a story. I also wish to write a book someday," he said, joking that just as politics didn't initially work out for him but eventually did, perhaps writing will too.
Former deputy CM Manish Sisodia lauded Jasmine Shah for his book and its Punjabi edition and described Kejriwal as both a close friend and his political mentor. "For me, the 'Kejriwal Model' means politics and governance for the aam aadmi," he said.
Punjab vidhan sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Tarunpreet Singh Sondh, Hardeep Singh Mundian and Dr Balbir Singh were among those present....
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