Kejriwal promises free pilgrimage to senior citizens, better schools and hospitals to win Gujarat polls

Promising free pilgrimage for senior citizens to religious places including Lord Ram's birthplace Ayodhya, free electricity, water and improving the conditions of schools and hospitals, the Delhi Chief Minister and AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday upped his attack on the BJP government ahead of upcoming Assembly polls by accusing the ruling party of "stooping to hooliganism" to harass his party workers.

On his third visit in less than two months, Kejriwal addressed a large gathering in Rajkot in the evening where he refrained from directly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Instead, Kejriwal continued his attack on state BJP President C R Paatil. The Delhi CM termed Paatil as "real chief minister of Gujarat." Kejriwal sought answers to three questions from Paatil which included, "Why is the condition of government schools bad despite ruling the state for 27 years, why question papers of recruitment exams are being leaked and why Gujarati youths are not getting employment."

Promising free religious tours to different places including Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya, Kejriwal said, "In the last three years, my government has sent 50,000 senior citizens on pilgrimages to various places where we take care of all expenses. But, the BJP hasn't sent a single person in the last 27 years of its power. You pray that AAP forms the government in Gujarat and we will take each and every senior citizen and mother to such pilgrimages for free".

Taking on Paatil for calling him "thug" and "terrorist", the Delhi CM told the gathering, "Do I look like a thug. Does a thug build schools, hospitals?" Kejriwal claimed, "I don't know how to do politics but I know how to work and make school, give free electricity, water and employment but all BJP knows to do is corruption, hooliganism and politics. I am an engineer, educated, honest and a patriot...while BJP is a party of hooligans. BJP has become too arrogant and we must break it by giving a chance to AAP."

Kejriwal also claimed that "a big Congress leader wanted to join AAP but BJP warned him to remain with the Congress." Claiming that Congress is a "younger sister of BJP," Kejriwal told the gathering to "remove both of them from Gujarat."