Just ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has rejected strongly the BJP’s final manifesto. Instead of calling it an election manifesto, AAP described the BJP’s latest document as “Jumla Patra”. The Senior AAP leader, Manish Sisodia called the efforts a sign of the BJP already conceding defeat in the upcoming polls.
Key Promises in BJP’s Sankalp Patra
On Saturday, the senior leader of BJP, Amit Shah, revealed the third and final part of the party’s manifesto, termed as ‘Sankalp Patra.’ A few of its key promises have been listed down as follows:Cleaning the Yamuna River within three years
Total ownership rights would be given to the people dwelling in 1,700 unauthorised colonies
50,000 jobs
Extended welfare schemes for gig workers and laborers
Free travel for students in Delhi Metro under the National Common Mobility Card scheme
Life insurance cover for lawyers
Electric buses to be introduced in DelhiSisodia, however, was quick to term these promises as nothing but a collection of populist rhetoric. He ridiculed Shah’s proposal of cleaning the Yamuna and granting ownership rights in unauthorized colonies as the same promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 and 2020, saying BJP is recycling old ideas.
AAP’s Criticism of BJP’s
Manifesto Sisodia claimed that instead of presenting a clear plan for Delhi’s development, the BJP focused on criticizing AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal. He highlighted that Kejriwal’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in 12 lakh jobs being created, emphasizing AAP’s track record in job creation and welfare schemes.
To Shah’s promise of de-sealing shops in Delhi, Sisodia reminded the BJP had once even stopped AAP’s effort to de-seal shops and questioned the BJP’s good faith.
He also mentioned several of the promises in BJP’s manifesto like life insurance for lawyers and electric buses which have already been implemented by the AAP government in Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal here, also criticized the manifesto of BJP declaring on social media that the BJP has “no plan or vision” for Delhi. He says that BJP is making false promises and, in this case, was questioning about the issue of Unauthorized colonies which, as he said, was sorted by the Prime Minister. Here, Kejriwal mentioned that BJP had nothing new or worthwhile to say in their manifesto.
Kejriwal’s comments pointed out the contradiction in BJP’s approach, especially regarding promises that had already been made and failed to materialize in the past.
Political Implications and Election Campaign
It is expected that the BJP and AAP will engage in a fierce tussle when the election campaign reaches its concluding stages. At this stage, the BJP has been attacking Kejriwal on leadership issues. AAP, for its part, has been leveling allegations against BJP for trying to match their initiatives. Claiming to hold the best interest of Delhi citizens, the campaign and debate expected in the concluding weeks before assembly elections are going to be intense.
The BJP’s manifesto launch marks the final push for the party as it tries to regain control of the Delhi government, but AAP’s scathing rebuttal suggests that the race will be closely contested.
