Days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in the liquor policy case, the AAP on Saturday resumed its Lok Sabha campaign and announced ‘five guarantees’ for the people in Assam as the party tries to make a foray into the northeastern state.
The five guarantees announced focused on flood management, improving education and healthcare, protecting the Assamese culture, reforms for the tea industry and employment opportunities.
The AAP has fielded two Lok Sabha candidates — Manoj Dhanowar from Dibrugarh and Rishiraj Kauntilya from Sonitpur.
AAP leader Dilip Pandey, in Dibrugarh, said the party will ensure the implementation of education, health and free electricity and water schemes in Assam, and eliminate unemployment on the lines of Delhi and Punjab.
“If we have to save Assam from fake guarantees, please vote for us and let the broom do the talking,” Pandey said while referring to the party’s electoral symbol.
On the stage where the announcement of the five guarantees was announced, the slogan, ‘Now, Kejriwal in Assam’ was written.
Speaking about Kejriwal’s arrest, Pandey said, “AAP leaders have decided that it is better to go to jail rather than to bow down. In Assam, the BJP has fielded leaders who are accused of corruption. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted that his main challenger is Arvind Kejriwal.”
He challenged the federal agencies to show “one piece of evidence” or “one rupee of corruption money” linked to Kejriwal’s arrest. If they do, then I will leave politics, he said.
Kejriwal is currently in ED custody till March 28 and will be produced before a Delhi court on that day.
“Till now, these agencies have not been able to recover any money. But due to dictatorship, our four big leaders are in jail. The central government is scared of Kejriwal’s guarantee. We are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, disciples of Babasaheb (Ambedkar) and Bhagat Singh. We will keep fighting,” Pandey further said.
WHAT THE FIVE GUARANTEES SAY
The AAP has assured of building world-class government-run educational institutions and healthcare facilities in Assam if its two candidates win from Dibrugarh and Sonitpur seats.
Regarding issues faced by the tea industry workers, the AAP promised to raise the minimum daily wage of the labourers to Rs 450 from Rs 250 at present and work for land rights for every tea garden worker.
The party will also support the fixing of the Minimum Support Price for green leaves produced by small tea growers, besides declaring tea as the national drink.
The party is also in favour of conducting a caste census to know the exact population and their economic conditions, saying it will help in formulating a mechanism to protect their political and economic rights.
The AAP will also continue to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was implemented by the Centre earlier this month and has drawn an uproar from the Opposition.
Among other assurances by the party are opposing privatisation of oil fields and PSUs, working for increasing wages of Anganwadi, mid-day meal and other such workers, and scientific handling of annual flood problem of the state.
(with inputs from PTI)
Source Agencies
