One would have thought that with all the giveaways by the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, there would be no more to hand out. But AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is a person with a truly large heart that is filled with devotion. And he has come up with the ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’, under which he will provide an honorarium of Rs 18,000 to temple priests and granthis in gurdwaras. This is despite the fact that the Muslim clerics already getting such grants as part of an earlier scheme are agitating because they have not been paid for some time. Should this latest Samman Yojana – following in the footsteps of the already controversial Mahila Samman Yojana – get implemented, the AAP will take the trophy for comprehensive ‘appeasement’ of major religious communities. It is another matter that, like earlier schemes, a large number of people will register as priests despite never having recited a mantra in their lives. In this, AAP will follow in the footsteps of West Bengal’s TMC, where party cadres are the ones to benefit, no matter which section of society a scheme is targeted at.
AAP leaders argue that Delhi has more than enough funds to operate these schemes. However, they are unable to explain how with such expenditure on welfare, they will cater to future infrastructure and other requirements. Providing 200 units of free electricity may seem affordable but how many new power plants of the ‘green’ category are coming up, which will be an essential need in the days to come? Is the present distribution system being properly maintained and adequately upgraded? Or is it the Union Government that is required to do so?
Everybody knows Kejriwal’s new ‘Sanatani’ avatar has everything to do with the coming assembly elections, which is why – despite already being in power – all promises and schemes are postdated for when the election results are out. AAP’s traditional followers are miffed that he has even softened vis a vis the RSS by engaging with its chief. It is an indication that he has read the signs and wishes to infiltrate the BJP’s Hindutva ranks. And, interestingly, all his promises are contingent on his being ‘elected’ Chief Minister. The implication is that an electoral victory would be a ‘clean chit’ from the public for all the corruption charges he faces. It is a complex but carefully charted strategy. It may even work. What happens afterwards is another matter.
