Hours after it was released, Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and Nirmala Sitharaman picked holes in the AAP’s manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections at the BJP State headquarters here on Saturday.
Describing it as an ‘entertaining’ read, the 70-point AAP manifesto, according to Ms. Sitharaman, was based on existing government policies, an attempt at subtly seeking credit from some of the BJP-led Central Government’s work over the past six months as well as unrealistic promises characteristic of AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
“This manifesto is proof that the AAP wants to fool the people of Delhi once again, perhaps for a bit longer than last time’s 49 days,” Ms. Sitharaman said at the end of her point-by-point post-mortem of 15 promises chosen from the manifesto that was released by Mr. Kejriwal on Saturday.
“It is a shameful copy of the AAP’s promises from 2013 and shows that the party did no homework at all before, or while, preparing it,” she added.
One of her biggest objections was to the AAP’s promise of in-situ rehabilitation of the residents of slum clusters. Apart from questioning how this was different from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's already-announced promise of making the Capital slum-free by 2022, Ms. Sitharaman pointed out the ‘fine print’ accompanying it.
“Right below this promise, the party’s manifesto says, ‘if this is not possible, resettlement would take place at the nearest possible location’. That’s precisely their plan. Of making promises which cannot, logically, be kept and then blaming everyone else for not being able to deliver,” she said.
‘Proof’ of the AAP’s attempt at seeking glory at the expense of the BJP she said, was its promise to e-rickshaw owners and drivers in favour of whom the BJP Government had already amended existing rules.
Ms. Sitharaman relegated the AAP’s promises of raising a force of security personnel for the security of women, confidence on securing Statehood for Delhi and 5,000 more buses to the ‘illogical’ category.
The AAP’s promise of the Swaraj Bill, the Minister alleged, was a direct attack on the Constitution of India. “But there’s nothing less that is expected of someone who has already declared himself an anarchist; as far as his promise of building two lakh toilets is concerned he and the AAP are welcome to be a part of the Prime Minister’s Swachch Bharat Mission anytime they deem fit,” she added.
