As the campaigning for the Delhi Assembly election enters its last leg, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has released its ambitious manifesto, titled ‘Kejriwal Ki Guarantee’. Promising a continuation of its governance model with new initiatives targeting socio-economic disparities, the manifesto outlines 15 key promises aimed at transforming Delhi.
The highlights are the promises ranging from job creation for educated youth, scholarships for Dalit students, financial aid to RWAs, and monthly Rs 2,100 to women through 'Mahila Samman Yojana'.
At the manifesto launch, Kejriwal said, "We were the first to use the term guarantee in Indian politics which the BJP stole. But the difference between their promises and ours is that we fulfil it and theirs are just empty statements".
Creating jobs is one of the highlights of the AAP’s promises, aimed at removing unemployment from Delhi in the next five years. "As per central government data, Delhi has the lowest unemployment. National level unemployment is 6% but in Delhi it is 2%. We wish that no one is unemployed in Delhi. We are making plans to give jobs to every youth in Delhi," Kejriwal said.
'Ambedkar Scholarship Yojana' is another highlight of the manifesto through which Dalit students will be provided scholarships so they can pursue education at universities abroad. Other student-focused promises include free bus rides for students, a 50% concession in metro fare, and free tuition for taxi driver kids.
For the city’s auto drivers, the manifesto proposed financial support including ₹1 lakh for their daughters’ marriages, life insurance worth ₹10 lakhs, and health insurance coverage of ₹5 lakhs. The elderly population of Delhi above 60 years will get free medical treatment through ‘Sanjeevani Yojana’. A monthly allowance of 18,000 will be given to priests and granthis and the process of reissuing ration cards will start again in Delhi. Free electricity and water bill benefits will be extended to tenets as well. Also, all the faulty water and electricity bills will be waived.
The manifesto also covered the infrastructural and civic challenges. Kejriwal acknowledged his party's shortcomings in fulfilling 2020 promises to clean the Yamuna River, provide round-the-clock clean drinking water, and make Delhi roads "European-style". He reaffirmed that these will be his priorities for the next term. Issues of clogged Delhi sewers also found their place in the manifesto. “We will clean all the clogged sewers in Delhi and construct new ones replacing old damaged sewers within months of our government formation”, said Kejriwal.
The deteriorating law and order situation was also the highlight of the manifesto launch, where Kejriwal made it a point to stress that the local government had no control over the Delhi police since it falls under the jurisdiction of the central government. To resolve this issue, RWAs will be given financial aid to tighten security measures to ensure safety and security in residential colonies.
Apart from the 15 promises, the popular schemes from AAP’s decade-long tenure like free bus rides for women, free education, and free electricity will continue. "If AAP comes to power, the residents of Delhi will be able to enjoy the benefit of saving at least Rs 25,000 every month", said Kejriwal while urging the public to press the button of ‘jhadu’ when they head for polls.
AAP’s manifesto addresses the local issues of Delhi aiming to largely address the critical socio-economic, infrastructural, and safety challenges. At the same time, by focusing on its past success and promising innovative schemes, the party is trying to secure another term. With elections approaching, the Delhi voters have to decide whether they want to put their trust in Kejriwal’s promises once again or want a change in the governance model.
