NEW DELHI: While his party will release a detailed manifesto in a week’s time, Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday issued a 10-point ‘guarantee card’, which guarantees to the citizens of Delhi 24-hour electricity supply, underground cable system, and ‘Mohalla marshals’ to ensure women safety among others.
Kejriwal announced, during a presser, that if elected to power again, the government would ensure 24-hour clean piped water to every household in Delhi; underground electricity cables to tackle the mess of overhead electricity cables; cleaning up of landfills; the expansion of public transport with the number of buses to go up to 11,000 and the metro coverage of up to 500 kilometres and extension of free bus ride service to students.
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While signing the 10-point guarantee card, Kejriwal said: “...many of the works detailed in this card have already been done and we promise to continue them. The rest will be implemented in the next five years.”
“This is not a manifesto. It is much more than that. This Guarantee Card and 10 promises listed in it will touch the lives of all the people of Delhi. A detailed manifesto will be released in the coming 7-10 days. People are very much affected by basic services like electricity, water, education, and healthcare. We guarantee that existing services and subsidies in these sectors will continue for the next five years,” he said.
“Opposition parties are spreading rumours that these services will be terminated by March 2020, after the elections. This is a lie,” he added.
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He then said that the government would continue to provide uninterrupted 24 hours of electricity to all.
“Also, we will continue 200 units of free electricity scheme. Electricity will be distributed to all households through underground cables to put an end to the chaotic mess of overhead electricity cables,” he said.
He reiterated his interest in providing 24-hour-clean piped water as well. “When we came to power in 2015, only 58 per cent of Delhi had access to piped water. We improved it to 93 per cent. In the next five years, the rest seven per cent will also be added. I assure 24 hours clean drinking water straight from the tap to every Delhi household,” said Kejriwal.
He stressed that the government will continue to work in the health and education sectors as well and also promised that he would provide the basic infrastructure in unauthorised colonies so that slum dwellers can get ‘pucca’ houses.
‘GUARANTEE CARD A PLOY TO FOOL PEOPLE’
Opposition BJP and Congress on Sunday dubbed AAP’s ‘guarantee card’ a gimmick and a “lie”, saying the ruling party is staring at defeat in the February 8 assembly polls.
“As the Aam Aadmi Party stares at defeat in the upcoming elections, it has come out with a ‘Kejriwal Ka Guarantee Card’ which is yet another jumla card to fool the people of Delhi and divert their attention from Kejriwal government’s failures in the past five years,” Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra said.
His BJP counterpart, Manoj Tiwari, accused Kejriwal of “lying” to the people after failing to fulfil his 70 promises made during the 2015 assembly elections in the national capital.