Free pilgrimage scheme if AAP voted to power in U’khand: Kejri
HARIDWAR : Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener on Sunday promised to introduce a free pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens of different communities in Uttarakhand if his party comes to power in the state.
Under the free pilgrimage scheme, Hindus will be sent to Ayodhya, Muslims to Ajmer Sharif and the Sikhs to Kartarpur Sahib, he announced at a press conference in Haridwar.
Uttarakhand is a religious hub. AAP will make it the spiritual capital of the country and people of Uttarakhand need to get free pilgrimage service to various shrines, Kejriwal said.
“AAP government in Uttarakhand will provide senior citizens free pilgrimage facilities to Ramjanam Bhoomi in Ayodhya for Hindus. For Muslims, we’ll have the provision of visiting Ajmer Sharif and for Sikhs to Kartarpur Sahib which was opened recently,” he said.
“We have introduced a free pilgrimage scheme for the elderly in Delhi under which they are taken in the comfort of AC trains for free to 12 different pilgrimage destinations all over the country, including Haridwar. Their food, lodging and stay are all free,” Kejriwal said.
He said 100,000 jobs will be provided within 6 months of
AAP’s coming to power in the state. “Monthly stipend will be provided to unemployed and 80% reservation in jobs will be for locals, Also, to check hill migration a separate migration department will be formed in Uttarakhand,” said Kejriwal.
Lashing out at the BJP and Congress for neglecting the hill state, Kejriwal urged people to vote for AAP in 2022 assembly election. “People will see a huge positive change in development works, time-bound completion of projects, corruption-free governance which BJP and Congress just claim in poll manifestos but fail to deliver.”
Kejriwal also held a meeting with autorickshaw drivers in Haridwar and promised to address their problems as he had done in Delhi if the AAP forms government in the state.
A major contribution was made by auto drivers and lower strata of society in forming AAP government in Delhi thrice. .
Kejriwal held roadshow with people lining up on both sides of the road from Parshu Ram, Old Ranipur tri- intersection, Chandracharya square till Shankar Ashram intersection.
On Kejriwal’s promises, Congress leader Harish Rawat said, “Kejriwal is just making announcements. First he should fulfil similar announcements made to people of Delhi.”
BJP district general secretary Vikas Tiwari said, “They (AAP) don’t have party cadre in all the 13 districts and make unrealistic claims of contesting in all 70 segments. Will Delhi CM and deputy Delhi CM be their faces or crowd pullers in Uttarakhand too. It is BJP which will win 60 plus seats, even Congress is nowhere near, forget AAP.”
Kejriwal has been promising freebies to the people of Uttarakhand which goes to polls early next year. He had promised free electricity for farmers and up to 300 units to every household at no cost during one of his earlier visits to Uttarakhand.