Chhattisgarh: Kejriwal announces ten guarantees, promises free electricity, allowance for women, unemployed

Raipur: Seeking to make inroads in Chhattisgarh, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced ten "guarantees" for the upcoming assembly polls in the Congress-ruled state including free electricity, monthly `samman rashi' for women and Rs 3,000 monthly allowance for the unemployed.

Addressing an AAP workers' convention here, the Delhi chief minister said his party's governments in Delhi and Punjab have fulfilled the guarantees given to people, and if it comes to power in Chhattisgarh, it would do the same thing.

“Today I am giving you ten guarantees which are not like a fake manifesto or `sankalp patra'. Kejriwal will die (if it comes to it) but fulfill these promises," he said.

The guarantees included 24-hour uninterrupted power supply -- free upto 300 units -- to every household, waiver of pending electricity bills till November 2023, Rs 1,000 monthly 'samman rashi' (honorarium) to all women aged above 18 years and free quality education to school children, he said.

As in Delhi, an AAP government will also provide free and better health treatment to every citizen of Chhattisgarh, mohalla clinics in every village and ward in cities, employment and allowance of Rs 3,000 per month to those unemployed, free pilgrimage for senior citizens, corruption-free Chhattisgarh, Rs 1 crore to the kin of personnel of state police and army jawans (who belong to Chhattisgarh) martyred in the line of duty as `samman rashi' and regularize contractual employees, Kejriwal said.

The tenth guarantee is about farmers and tribals but he will reveal it during his next visit, he said.

Kejriwal was accompanied by AAP leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

Kejriwal had addressed a public rally in Bilaspur last month. In March, he had attended an AAP workers' convention in Raipur.

The AAP tried its luck for the first time in the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh in 2018 and fielded candidates in 85 of 90 seats but failed to achieve success.