Kejriwal promises to pay Rs 1 cr to families of soldiers killed in line of duty in U’khand

PTI, Jan 3, 2022, 6:31 PM IST

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday promised to pay Rs 1 crore to the next of kin of security personnel killed in the line of duty in Uttarakhand as ”Samman Rashi” if the Aam Aadmi Party comes to power in the state in the 2022 assembly polls.

Kejriwal also promised to give direct jobs in government to retired Army jawans aged 34-35 years and make them partners in the building of a new Uttarakhand making full use of their patriotism, military skills and discipline.

He made the announcement at the party’s Uttarakhand Nav Nirman rally at the Parade Ground here.

”I assure you if AAP comes to power in Uttarakhand, Col Kothiyal (the party’s chief ministerial candidate) will meet the families of any soldier who is killed on the country’s borders or a police or paramilitary personnel who died on duty and hand them a cheque of Rs 1 crore,” Kejriwal said.

He said when he used to run an NGO before coming into politics, he often came across cases where martyrs’ families got no support from any quarter.

”When I became chief minister of Delhi, I was told wives of policemen killed in the line of duty got a sewing machine. Can that be the price of martyrdom?” Kejriwal said, adding that he raised the compensation amount given to martyrs’ families to Rs 1 crore after taking over as CM and has himself paid that amount through cheques to several beneficiaries.

”I appeal to all soldiers both retired and working to come with AAP and build a new Uttarakhand,” he said.

He said Uttarakhand has the largest representation in the armed forces and if soldiers make up their mind, no one can stop the Aam Aadmi Party from coming to power in the state. Accusing Congress and BJP governments of deliberately keeping people uneducated and poor for 75 years after Independence to exploit them as votebanks, the AAP leader said he has vowed to fulfil Baba Sahab Ambedkar’s dream of ”education to all”.

Kejriwal said he worships Ambedakar who despite coming from a very poor family struggled hard to overcome the hurdles of poverty and social untouchability to earn two PhD degrees from abroad and masters degrees in as many as 62 subjects. The Delhi chief minister said he has upgraded the government schools in the national capital and their students now speak fluent english. ”We have done it in Delhi and we will do it in Uttarakhand too. You gave 10 years each to the BJP and the Congress. They disappointed you. Give us one chance for five years and see,” he said.

The AAP leader also reiterated promises made to the people of the state during his earlier visits such as free uninterrupted electricity, jobs to youths, monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 to them till they get it, Rs 1,000 per month to every woman and free pilgrimages to centres of faith, including Ayodhya and Ajmer Sharif.

He said rival political parties are hurling ”choicest abuses” at him for promising freebies.

”Did you know Dhami gets 5,000 units of electricity free every month. His ministers get 4,000 units of electricity free per month but they don’t like it when I promise the common man 300 units of electricity for free,” Kejriwal said.

”My announcement of Rs 1,000 per month to women did not go down well with one such political leader who said it will spoil them. My question is didn’t you get spoiled gorging yourselves on thousands of crores of rupees?” he said at the rally here.

Taking a dig at rival parties for starting to ”mimic” him by promising freebies to people, Kejriwal said they don’t realise that only he has the almighty’s blessings and the formula to fulfil such promises.

”Others are lying. They are just copycats,” he said.