Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5, 2025, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its election manifesto on January 17, 2025, announced by BJP President JP Nadda. The manifesto promises to continue all existing public welfare schemes in Delhi if the BJP is voted into power. The announcement, however, has sparked criticism from Arvind Kejriwal, the former Chief Minister of Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo.
Kejriwal accused the BJP of "copying" AAP's policies, claiming that the BJP's manifesto was full of promises of "revris" (freebies), similar to the initiatives offered by his party. Kejriwal went further, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not approve of such "freebies" promised by the BJP, adding to the ongoing political debate around the issue of welfare schemes and subsidies in election campaigns.
After BJP President Nadda unveiled the manifesto, Kejriwal addressed a press conference, urging PM Modi to acknowledge he was "wrong" in criticizing him for offering free handouts. "The BJP has often accused me of giving away free handouts, yet today their national president announced that they, too, will provide free assistance to the people of Delhi," Kejriwal remarked, sharply criticizing the opposition. He called on PM Modi to admit that he had been mistaken about AAP’s policies and affirmed that providing free services is beneficial for the nation.
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Kejriwal argued that the BJP’s manifesto merely reiterated what AAP is already implementing, questioning why people should vote for the BJP. He also criticized the BJP for failing to include commitments to improve law and order in their manifesto, calling it a "bundle of lies." He accused the BJP of simply reiterating old schemes that they had failed to implement and alleged that their manifesto even proposed closing mohalla clinics, which have been a significant part of AAP's healthcare initiatives.