If you consider me dishonest then there’s no honest man left on earth: Arvind Kejriwal

Unfazed by the threats to his safety, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal continued his series of Padyatras in Delhi for the fourth consecutive day. On Saturday, the AAP Convenor embarked on a yatra in Jahangirpuri, in Badli constituency, amidst the outpour of love and support of an overwhelming crowd. In a spirited address, Arvind Kejriwal threw an open challenge at the BJP to show its might against him in the elections instead of resorting to the cowardice of orchestrating physical attacks on him.

During the Padyatra, Jahangirpuri came alive with locals eager to show their admiration for Arvind Kejriwal. The streets buzzed with excitement as supporters surrounded the AAP Convenor, while residents poured out of their homes to greet him warmly, showering him with blessings and backing him for another strong win in Delhi.

Speaking to the people of Jahangirpuri, Arvind Kejriwal expressed his gratitude to the citizens for their overwhelming support over the last decade and reaffirmed his commitment to the capital’s continued growth and welfare. Reflecting on his journey, Arvind Kejriwal shared, “Ten years ago, I was working in Delhi’s slums, running an NGO with limited resources. But the people of Delhi placed their faith in me, and with integrity, we have delivered meaningful change over the past decade.” He highlighted milestones such as achieving 24-hour power supply, a significant improvement from the extended power cuts experienced in 2014. “Before our government, Delhi would face power cuts for up to ten hours daily. Today, there are no such outages, making Delhi the only state with consistent, uninterrupted power.”
In a comparison with other states, Arvind Kejriwal pointed to the recent statement by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who talked about ensuring residents of no power cuts during the festival season. “On Friday, I was reading a tweet by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, who tweeted that with the festival season approaching, they’ll ensure no power cuts in Uttar Pradesh. In Delhi, we have festivals 365 days a year, there are no power cuts here. They have governments in 22 states, and none provide 24-hour power. Only Delhi has round-the-clock electricity. Ask around in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to know how many hours they have power outages for. If you mistakenly vote for the BJP, Delhi will face the same situation, with 10-hour power cuts. We have worked hard to manage Delhi, replacing transformers and cables over the last ten years to make it a 24-hour power city. But if you vote for them by mistake, they’ll ruin Delhi,” he said.

On the issue of electricity bills, Arvind Kejriwal recalled that before AAP’s government, bills for small households could go up to Rs 10,000 per month. “Even small households with just a fan, a light, a fridge, and a TV used to get bills of five to ten thousand rupees. I would go around the slums and unauthorized colonies, where people would show me their bills, asking whether they should educate their children, provide food, or pay these bills. I even went on a hunger strike for 15 days to get the bills waived, but Sheila Dikshit didn’t listen. I had promised that if I became Chief Minister, I would waive the bills – and I did. Only in Delhi and Punjab do we have zero electricity bills. Such relief isn’t available in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.”

He remarked that BJP leaders criticize him, saying he’s distributing “freebies” by providing free electricity. “Yes, I am giving away freebies. One BJP member told me that if they ever come to power in Delhi, they’ll put an end to free electricity. Don’t vote for them by mistake, or else your electricity bills will go up to ten thousand rupees again. I made water free in Delhi, providing twenty thousand liters per month for free. But while I was in jail, facing false cases, I heard that people received water bills in the thousands. Don’t worry about paying them – I will waive them again. Just make me the Chief Minister once more, and right after the elections, I’ll cancel all the water bills. I did it once, waiving all outstanding water and electricity bills, and I’ll do it again.”

Arvind Kejriwal also highlighted the expansion of public education and healthcare, which remain pillars of AAP’s governance. “We built good schools for children. The BJP members criticize me, questioning why education is free. They call it distributing freebies. But how will our country progress if our children aren’t well-educated? No other party claims to want to provide education for your children, but I do. If you vote for the BJP, they’ll ruin these schools, as they have in Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram. Over ten years, we’ve worked hard to improve schools, so don’t vote for them if you care about your children’s education.”

In his speech, he also cautioned against supporting opposition parties that threaten to end these essential services if they gain power, potentially disrupting the progress that Delhi has made in education, healthcare, and reliable utility services. “Medicines and tests are free in Delhi’s government hospitals. BJP members criticize that medicines shouldn’t be free and should cost money. Providing free healthcare is a noble cause. They sent me to jail on false charges, even though I never engaged in corruption. If Kejriwal is corrupt, then there’s no honest person in the world. I was jailed for working for the people. If I hadn’t provided free electricity, water, or built schools and hospitals, they wouldn’t have jailed me. I’m willing to dedicate my life to the people.”

Arvind Kejriwal also discussed the hurdles faced by the people, sharing that while he was in jail. “I heard that while I was in jail, they troubled you all greatly. They halted all work in Delhi, left sewers overflowing, roads broken, and stopped pensions for senior citizens. I resumed all these works as soon as I came out of jail, starting repairs for roads, sewer work, and pensions for seniors. I’m ensuring that every single job continues without interruption,” he said.

Arvind Kejriwal underscored that his commitment is solely to the betterment of Delhi. This came in the context of the BJP orchestrating an attack on him in Vikaspuri. “They want to kill me. If they have the courage, they should face me in elections. They control 22 states, but I’ve built 500 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi. If they can build 5,000 clinics, then I’ll consider them accomplished. But instead of doing their work, they target Kejriwal, stopping clinics, medicines, and public services. This is not anything to be proud of; it’s wrong. Their governments in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh should show results there. I was in jail for six months, and instead of improving Delhi, they left it in shambles. But now that I’m back, don’t worry – Kejriwal won’t let any work stop.”

Concluding, he emphasized that he has no greed for power. “I stepped down from the Chief Minister’s chair once, and I am ready to sacrifice anything to ensure Delhi’s progress. The choice is in the hands of the people of Delhi. When you vote, vote for those who have worked tirelessly and not for those who wish to undo this progress.”

Also present on the occasion, Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, asserted that Arvind Kejriwal has made electricity free for Delhiites. He has transformed Delhi’s government schools, and today Arvind Kejriwal’s education model is praised across the country and the world. People used to say ‘Learn from America,’ but now Americans say, ‘Learn from Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party.’

Highlighting the unprecedented services provided by Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh added, “He introduced the Farishte Scheme, free pilgrimage for senior citizens, and free bus rides for women. Mohalla Clinics were set up in Delhi, government hospitals were upgraded, and people received free medicines and treatment.”

The AAP MP said that Arvind Kejriwal left his IRS job to serve the people. “He has taken care of every segment of Delhi’s population. But the BJP fabricated fake cases to have him arrested, stopped his insulin injections in jail, because of which his sugar level dropped below 50. There have been attempts to take his life.”

“The BJP has been losing to Arvind Kejriwal in three consecutive elections, and now they are targeting his life. On Friday, Arvind Kejriwal was attacked in Vikaspuri. Delhiites must take revenge for this attack on their son. Last time, Delhi gave us 62 seats, and this time, give us all 70 out of 70 seats,” urged the senior AAP leader.