New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged on Wednesday that if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, it will stop all free government schemes, including free electricity, mohalla clinics and education, with the saffron party hitting back at the AAP leader, accusing him of "misleading" people.
Singh told a press conference here that only Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal intends to provide these free facilities to the residents of Delhi and has been fighting to continue the schemes despite opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"The Kejriwal-led AAP government has been providing free education, electricity, medicines through mohalla clinics, among other things, to the residents of Delhi. If Kejriwal is not there, all these facilities will be stopped by the BJP," he claimed.
"They (BJP) insult the people of Delhi by calling these things freebies. They say free facilities should not be provided to people," he said, adding that it is for the people to decide the future of the city.
"Now, it is your time. You need to think that if Kejriwal is not there, what will happen to Delhi and its residents. The free education that your children get will be stopped. The mohalla clinics, free medical facilities, free bus travel for women, free pilgrimage tour for the elderly -- all this will be stopped by the BJP," Singh said. Pointing towards the condition of government schools in BJP-ruled states, he claimed that the saffron party has failed to build quality schools.
"The BJP has been ruling in Gujarat for 27 years but not even one school has been constructed there where the prime minister can get himself photographed and show the condition of the school to people. He had to get a tent school set up during elections in Ahmedabad to show to people," the AAP leader said, claiming that the scenario is the same across the states where the BJP is in power.
"The prime minister himself has said time and again that facilities should not be provided for free," he said.
Singh accused the BJP of getting Kejriwal and other AAP leaders jailed and trying to break the party with false corruption charges.
"What the BJP has been doing with Kejriwal for the last two years is publicly visible. They got Kejriwal, his education minister and health minister jailed. They tried to defame him with false corruption charges and break the party. But nothing has worked. Even though the Supreme Court gave him a clearance by granting bail to him, Kejriwal chose to resign and stand before the court of people to get a certificate of his honesty. I am sure that the people of Delhi will make him the chief minister again with huge support," he said.
"It is Kejriwal who has been fighting to get you these facilities. He protested at the LG's residence for nine days to get the file for mohalla clinics passed. If Kejriwal is not there, there will be no mohalla clinic. He is the first chief minister since independence who ensured that people got free electricity. If Kejriwal is not made the chief minister again, the BJP will stop it," he claimed.
Reacting to Singh's claims, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accused the AAP leader of "misleading" people. Sachdeva said only a few months ago, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said the free services, including electricity, water and ration, will continue.