New Delhi [India], January 17 : As Delhi assembly polls inch closer, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched the party's 'Sankalp Patra' for the Delhi assembly elections with a key focus on improving healthcare, empowering women, supporting senior citizens, and ensuring better access to essential services.
The party pledged to roll out new schemes and enhance existing ones to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for the people of Delhi.
However, ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reacted sharply to the poll promises made by BJP and claimed that the ruling party at the Centre is following Arvind Kejriwal's governance model.
Bharatiya Janata Party's National President and Union Minister JP Nadda launched the party's Delhi Assembly election manifesto on Friday.
Among the major promises, the BJP announced a series of welfare initiatives for women, starting with the provision of six nutritional kits and Rs 21,000 in financial assistance under the Matritva Suraksha Yojana to ensure the health and well-being of pregnant women. To support low-income families, the BJP promised to provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to women from such households. The party also committed to offering one free cylinder each on the occasions of Holi and Deepawali.
The manifesto also highlighted the party's focus on healthcare, with a promise to implement the central government's Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi, providing free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. The state government would add another Rs 5 lakh cover for low-income households, ensuring comprehensive medical care. For senior citizens, the BJP promised to introduce several initiatives, including free OPD and diagnostic services for all individuals aged 70 and above. Additionally, the party will provide Rs 10 lakh health cover and increase the senior citizen's pension from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 for those aged 60-70.
Reacting to BJP's poll promises, its leader Manoj Tiwari expressed happiness after the party promised Rs 2500 to every woman in Delhi in its election manifesto ahead of the February 5 assembly polls.
"Ever since I heard these, I can only think of the fact that PM Narendra Modi loves Delhi so much. As we had anticipated, just like Rs 2100 is being given to women in Maharashtra, there was a lot of buzz around this in Delhi. Every woman in Delhi was waiting to see what the BJP and Narendra Modi would do for Delhi. When the party's national president announced today that women will be given Rs 2500 per month, in the form of mahila samman, I pinched myself to make sure that I was hearing it right," Tiwari said.
On BJP's manifesto for, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "BJP gave honorarium to women in MP, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana also. Women are being respected through each of PM Narendra Modi's schemes across India... Arvind Kejriwal has only committed deception, whether it be in Punjab or Delhi."
BJP leader CR Kesavan said, "BJP's Delhi election manifesto unveiled today is a true reflection of PM Modi's commitment and determination to realise the vibrant vision for 'Viksit Delhi'. Even as the blueprint was released, Kejriwal started panicking. He is nervous and in utter fear because he knows that the people of Delhi have decided to boot out the corrupt AAP govt on February 5....Kejriwal knows that the countdown for the end of his corrupt AAP misrule has already begun..."
Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, claiming that the latter has 'openly accepted' that the AAP government is running various welfare schemes for the people.
"BJP has openly accepted that Kejriwal is running many welfare schemes in Delhi that are benefiting the families of BJP members also," a post by Arvind Kejriwal's X account read.
The post further read that the work of AAP is such that even their "opponents praise it."
"We don't know how to do politics; we know how to work. And we do such work that even our opponents praise it," the post added.
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said that the common people should get facilities through the money they pay in the form of taxes. He further said that other parties in the country are also following the 'politics' of Arvind Kejriwal.
"It is the money of people; rather than it being spent on close friends of those who are in power, people should get facilities through it (tax money). It is a good thing that other parties are now accepting the politics of Kejriwal, the man whom they used to make fun of...now they have realised they can't make fun of politics that is in the interest of people. But the thing that matters here is 'trust'...Earlier they used to make fun of Kejriwal, saying that he is distributing 'revdi.' Now they are saying they will give 'Revdi' too but the thing is, who will distribute 'trust'...who do people trust? ...people trust Kejriwal," Sisodia added.
Criticisng BJP's manifesto AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, "They (BJP) have done nothing for Delhi, that's why they just repeated the promises in their manifesto that have already been fulfilled by AAP... BJP just keeps making promises and slogans... There was not a word related to law and order in their manifesto."
Several candidates from different political parties filed their nominations today for the upcoming Delhi polls.
The Delhi Assembly elections are going to be held in a single phase on February 5, with counting to be done on February 8.