'I am a Baniya': Kejriwal plays caste card in a bid to woo traders as Gujarat polls loom

Flaunting his caste at a gathering of diamond traders on Monday, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal defended his party's freebie culture by asserting that he is a 'Baniya'. Maintaining that he has enough knowledge about how to handle the economy, he highlighted the Delhi government's surplus budget. According to him, providing essential services free of cost didn't make a dent in the economy as compared to the corruption allegedly witnessed in states like Gujarat. 

Arvind Kejriwal opined, "I ensured that everything is free in Delhi. Electricity is free in Delhi. Water is free in Delhi. Everyone's education is free in Delhi. I have made spectacular schools. Now, rich people also send their children to government schools. Everyone's treatment is free. Women can travel in buses for free. I ensure that the elderly in Delhi can pay obeisance to Lord Ram in Ayodhya. All religious pilgrimages are free. Travel, food, and lodging are free. Everything is free in Delhi but there is no debt. Delhi has a surplus budget."

He elaborated, "I am a Baniya and I have some understanding of accounts. I am educated and an engineer. Delhi's economy is spectacular after making everything free. Why is there a debt of Rs.3.5 lakh crore debt on Gujarat? Because they have gobbled up all the money. So, the economy is not damaged by making everything free but by theft."

Gujarat polls

With the term of the Gujarat Assembly ending on February 18, 2023, the state will go to the polls in two phases. While polling for 89 seats will take place on December 1, the election for the remaining 93 seats shall be held on December 5. A total of 4.9 crore persons will decide the fate of 182 seats at 51,782 polling stations. This includes 4,61,494 first-time voters and 10,460 voters above the age of 100. The counting of votes will take place on December 8, the same day as Himachal Pradesh. With the announcement of the poll dates, the Model Code of Conduct came into force.

Owing to a series of defections, Congress has been reduced to 60 seats. In the upcoming Assembly election, AAP is seeking to emerge as an alternative in Gujarat where the politics has revolved around BJP and Congress. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has made a slew of promises such as free electricity up to 300 units, an unemployment allowance of Rs.3000, 10 lakh government jobs, a monthly salary of Rs.10,000 for every sarpanch, a monthly allowance of Rs.1000 for every woman aged 18 and above and farm loan waiver.