Eye on Delhi polls, AAP kicks off ‘Revdi Par Charcha’ campaign
With an eye on the Delhi Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched the ‘Revdi Par Charcha’ campaign on Friday.
Aiming to energise AAP’s electoral outreach, the campaign will spotlight flagship initiatives such as free electricity, water, healthcare, education, women’s free bus rides and senior citizens’ pilgrimage schemes. These welfare measures, often labelled as “revdis” (freebies) by the BJP, have been a point of contention, with the term being used to criticise the free services offered by the AAP-led Delhi government.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has warned the public that key welfare schemes provided by his government could be rolled back if the BJP comes to power in Delhi. He also reiterated his commitment to soon implementing the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, promising a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 for every woman.
As part of AAP’s election campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls in February 2025, Kejriwal unveiled a poster highlighting six flagship welfare schemes. The campaign will run from November 25 to December 10, with a massive outreach plan involving 65,000 meetings across Delhi.
“In every street, neighbourhood and society, AAP workers, officials, mandal in-charges, booth in-charges and teams will connect with Delhiites to showcase our work,” he said.
Kejriwal proudly acknowledged that his government provides six major welfare measures, which he referred to as “revdis” (freebies). “Yes, we are proudly offering these six revdis to Delhiites,” he said, adding that the BJP has consistently called for their discontinuation.
“If BJP comes to power, the six free services we provide to the people of Delhi using their tax money will be stopped. Among the 20 BJP-ruled states, not one offers these benefits. The BJP is committed to ending all free revdis in Delhi,” Kejriwal claimed.
He outlined the six schemes, starting with uninterrupted 24x7 free electricity, which he argued is a technical achievement made possible by the expertise of his government. “We are engineers, and we know how to provide electricity without power cuts. If the BJP takes over Delhi, power cuts will return,” he warned.
Kejriwal urged Delhiites to think twice before voting for the BJP, warning that pressing the BJP’s button (Lotus) on the EVM would mean a return to power cuts.
“The second revdi — free water: We provide 20,000 litres of free water per family every month in Delhi, a benefit unavailable in BJP-ruled states,” Kejriwal said. Reiterating his earlier promise, he assured that any wrong or inflated water bills would be waived off if AAP returns to power in 2025.
He accused the BJP of “mischievously” issuing inflated water bills during his time in jail over allegations of corruption and money laundering related to the Delhi excise policy scam.
He highlighted the third and fourth welfare measures — free, quality education and healthcare. Kejriwal warned that if the BJP comes to power, Delhi’s schools would be neglected and hospitals would deteriorate.
Free bus travel for women and free pilgrimage scheme for the elderly was the fifth and sixth ‘revdi’.
He further said the Delhi Government operates with limited powers compared to a full state, as the Central Government, L-G and the BJP control many functions. Despite these constraints, he claimed the AAP had uplifted lives, particularly for the Purvanchal community.
