Kejriwal seeks vote for AAP in Adampur bypoll, says party will form govt in Haryana in 2024

PTI, Sep 8, 2022, 7:10 PM IST

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday urged people to vote for AAP in the bypoll to Adampur assembly seat, saying it will be the party’s gateway to form its government in Haryana in 2024.

Kejriwal, who was on a two-day visit to Haryana, also slammed the BJP-led Centre for imposing taxes on edible items, including milk, wheat, rice and honey, and blamed it for rising inflation in the country.

Exhorting the youth to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Kejriwal promised to build a “new Haryana” by improving the condition of schools and hospitals, besides providing job opportunities.

Addressing a rally here, Kejriwal said, “After two years, (assembly) elections will be held in Haryana and this (bypoll) is a trailer. The by-election will take place in three to four months. Give one chance to Kejriwal. If I am not able to change Haryana, then kick me out.”           The AAP national convenor said, “Make us victorious from Adampur in 2022, I assure you that the AAP government will be formed in Haryana in 2024.”           “There was a time when Adampur had a ‘chaudhrahat’ (dignity), Adampur had a name. Where has it gone? Make AAP victorious this time, it will have a name in the entire country. “Adampur is a gate, and with this gate, the AAP will form government in Haryana in 2024,” he asserted.

The Adampur seat fell vacant following the resignation of Kuldeep Bishnoi from the Haryana Vidhan Sabha as MLA. Bishnoi had left the Congress and joined the ruling BJP. The Adampur seat is a stronghold of Bishnoi.

Without naming former Adampur MLA Bishnoi, Kejriwal said he had been MLA for 24 years. “If he had done something good, then vote for him and if not, then bring a change this time,” the Delhi CM said.

In a bid to strike an emotional chord with people, Kejriwal said he has many relatives in Adampur and referred to himself as ‘Haryana Ka chhora (boy)’.

Kejriwal also recalled his school and college days in Hisar. On Wednesday, he had kicked-off his party’s ‘Make India No. 1’ campaign from his home town of Hisar.

He spoke about good schools, hospitals and mohalla clinics in Delhi. “We made electricity free and provided it round-the-clock in Delhi. It is a magic. God has given this gift only to Kejriwal that he could only make it free and also provide it 24-hour,” he said.

“I want to say to the people of Haryana, I have upgraded schools, hospitals, set up mohalla clinics and made electricity free. People of Haryana, why do not you get it done from me?” he asked.

He slammed Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for allegedly shutting government schools.

On ‘revdis’ (freebies) issue, Kejriwal said each minister gets 4,000 units of free electricity every month. “Is it not ‘free ki revdi’? Kejriwal gave 300 units of free electricity and they say free ‘revdis’ are distributed,” he said.

Taking on the Centre on rising prices, Kejriwal said taxes have been imposed on curd, honey, wheat, rice and many other edible items which were not even imposed by the Britishers.

He questioned where the collection of thousands of crores of rupees in taxes go when no new roads, schools, and hospitals have come up.              “It is going into the pockets of their friends. They waived thousands of crores of debt of their friends,” Kejriwal alleged as he slammed the Centre.

He claimed that Rs 10 lakh crore of debt of “their friends” was waived with the tax money. However, the debt of farmers and students were not waived, he alleged.

The AAP leader also accused the BJP-led Centre of trying to topple his government by targeting 40 of his party MLAs with offers of Rs 20 crore each.

He further alleged that the governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and Assam were toppled by buying MLAs.

On the second day of his two-day visit to the state, Kejriwal led his party’s ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Adampur. He was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Mann said his government brought ‘one MLA one pension’ law, put an end to corruption and set up 100 mohalla clinics in the state within five months.