Punjab polls: Kejriwal woos SC community, promises free education for their children

PTI, Dec 7, 2021, 6:30 PM IST

In a bid to woo the Scheduled Caste community ahead of Punjab assembly polls, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday promised to provide free education to their children, besides bearing their coaching fees for higher studies, if his party comes to power.

Addressing a gathering of the SC community in Hoshiarpur district, Kejriwal accused Charanjit Singh Channi of playing ”vote bank politics” as the Punjab chief minister belonged to the same community.

Notably, Channi is the first Punjab chief minister who belongs to the SC community. The state has nearly 32 per cent Dalit population.

Kejriwal asked the people in the gathering to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for once, saying they had given many chances to the rival political parties—Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The Delhi chief minister told the gathering that he has five “guarantees” for the SC community.

Giving details, he said the AAP government will provide best education to the children belonging to the SC community free of charge if voted to power in the Punjab assembly polls due early next year.

“If a child belonging to the SC community wants coaching, like we did in Delhi, for engineering, medical education, railway, IAS or any paper, his/her entire fee will be borne by the Punjab government,” he promised.

If a child of the SC community wishes to go abroad for pursuing graduation and post graduation, the expenses will be borne by the state government, he stated.

He also promised that the state government would bear medical expenses on the treatment of any disease being suffered by any member of the SC family.

He further promised said that each woman above 18-years would get Rs 1,000 per month.

Taking on the Punjab CM, Kejriwal said Channi hails from the Ravidassia community. “That is why he is asking the SC community to vote for him”.

He told the gathering that though he did not come from the SC community, “but I come from your family”. “If anybody from your family gets sick, I will get your treatment done by becoming your son. If tomorrow, your child wants to become an IAS officer I and you will make him the IAS officer. If your child wants a good education then your elder brother will help you. Channi sahib will not help,” said the Delhi chief minister.