Kejriwal’s latest poll promise in Gujarat: Rs 1,000 monthly for women above 18

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal continued with his “guaranteed schemes” on Wednesday, by announcing a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to all women above 18 years if his party is elected to power in Gujarat.

Addressing a town hall here, which saw participation of hundreds of women, the Delhi Chief Minister, while announcing the allowance, said: “Rs 1,000 is not a revadi. People’s money should go to the people and not to Swiss banks.”

“All women above 18 years of age, who are willing to accept it, will receive Rs 1,000 in their bank account every month if the party (AAP) comes to power. This is not a free revadi (freebies) but a matter of right. This is your money,” the AAP leader, while proudly adopting the disparaging term “revadi” coined by his critics about his ‘freebie’ schemes.

Kejriwal, as part of his aggressive campaign in Gujarat, already promised 300 units of free electricity and Rs 3,000 monthly unemployment allowance to Gujarati youth.

According to Kejriwal, the AAP government was able to provide free electricity in Punjab because after coming to power in the state in March, it was able to collect Rs 21,000 crore between March and May—Rs 6,000 crore more than the previous year in the same period. “There is no dearth of money,” the AAP leader said. “These people (without specifying) waving off their taxes of their friends.”

“Giving Rs 1,000 to sisters will improve the economy, as it will increase purchasing power and demand in the market, whereas money given to billionaires will have no impact on the economy,” Kejriwal said.

After winning Punjab, the AAP has been aggressively focusing on Gujarat. In the past five months, Kejriwal has visited the state at least twice a month, announcing his “guaranteed schemes” to woo voters.