Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections in the State, defended ‘freebies’ which, he said, were good for the economy in ‘limited doses’.

He was countering Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s and other Opposition parties’ charge that the State government was announcing freebies to attract voters ahead of polls.

“Freebies, in limited dose, are good for economy. They make more money available to poor, hence boost demand. However, it should be done in such limits so that no extra taxes have to be imposed and it does not lead to budget deficits,” Kejriwal tweeted.

He claimed that the people of the State are forcing the Opposition, particularly the BJP, to seek votes on the basis of developmental activities such as establishment of CCTVs, legalising unauthorised colonies and improvement of education systems.

“I am happy you saw some CCTV cameras. A few days back you said there was not a single camera. Take out some time, we will show you our schools also. I am extremely happy that the people of Delhi have changed the politics by which the BJP has to ask for votes on CCTV, schools and unauthorised colonies here,” he said.

On the promise of free Wi-Fi connections, too, Kejriwal said his government has made arrangements for not just free Wi-Fi, but also for free charging points for mobile phones.

Later, addressing a public meeting, Kejriwal said he was happy that Shah was talking about unauthorised colonies, education and health. “It shows that while in the rest of the country the BJP seek votes on the basis of caste and religion, in Delhi they are forced to seek votes on the basis of development work like health and education,” he said.

Related Topics