Each vote cast for BJP is a vote against free electricity, education and healthcare: Sisodia

Sisodia condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for using the slogan 'Dilli Bikao Nahi Hai' (Delhi is not up for sale).
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia (Photo | PTI)
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia (Photo | PTI)

NEW DELHI: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday said that each vote cast for the BJP in the upcoming assembly election would be a vote against free electricity, education and healthcare, and also accused the saffron party of calling the people of Delhi "bikau".

Sisodia condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for using the slogan "Dilli Bikao Nahi Hai" (Delhi is not up for sale).

"The BJP has planned to launch a campaign 'Dilli ka Swabhiman' (Delhi's self-respect) and they have decided to reach out to people with the line 'Dili bikao nahi hai'. This campaign is against the AAP government's welfare schemes of free water, electricity, transport and others. BJP shouldn't dare to call people 'bikao'," he said.

Claiming that the BJP is insulting the people of Delhi who are beneficiaries of pro-people policies "by calling them bikau or freeloaders", Sisodia said BJP leaders Amit Shah and J P Nadda should apologise to the people.

"I demand that Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP's working president JP Nadda apologize to the people of Delhi for this shameful statement of their leaders. Delhi's people are masters and BJP leaders must behave properly with them, this kind of misbehaviour will not be tolerated. I also implore the people to listen to these BJP leaders carefully, they are calling you 'bikau'," he claimed.

 According to a media report, the BJP will soon kick off a 'Dilli ka Swabhiman' (Delhi's self-respect) campaign in the national capital to counter the Aam Aadmi Party's account of providing subsidised water and power in Delhi.

The party says it will go to people with the slogan 'Dili bikao nahi hai' (Delhiites are not up for sale).

"The BJP is against free electricity, free water and free travel for women. This can be their agenda as a party but they cannot insult the people of Delhi who are the beneficiaries of these pro-people policies," Sisodia told reporters.

"This may be their party's stand, but along with this, they have made a shameful statement calling the people of Delhi 'bikau'. I want to tell them that they shouldn't dare to call Delhi's or India's people 'bikau'. Delhi people are not bikau, they are the masters. Irrespective of whichever party is in power, AAP or BJP, the government is like a servant and its duty is to serve and not loot their masters," he said.

The deputy chief minister added that all money for all government expenses, for their aeroplanes, their salaries, comes from taxes paid by people.

"No matter what a person does, whether he is a rickshaw puller, a daily wage labourer, he is paying taxes and it is from that money that government buys buses, builds mohalla clinics, buys electricity, creates water supply system etc. Rich or poor, all pay taxes," he said.

"The BJP has insulted people of Delhi by calling them 'bikau'. Getting benefit from subsidised services of government doesn't make people 'bikau'. BJP leaders have time and again made statements that they don't want free education, water, electricity. BJP national general secretary Anil Jain has said that BJP is against giving subsidies, as this makes people 'bikau'," he claimed.

He claimed that the people of the city know the truth and they know that the BJP only wants to use all facilities created from people's tax money to benefit few industrialists, thereby making it a double tax on people.

"Paying a tax is anyway a burden on people, but when you charge people to provide the services which have been funded from tax collected from the people, then you add a double burden. We have ended this double burden. People pay taxes and it is the government's duty to provide the services to them. Now whether rich or poor, they are benefiting from government facilities" said Sisodia.

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