Voting for the Congress would mean making the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victorious, said Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, adding that the Congress was “finished” and would not even win “10 seats in the assembly elections” in Gujarat.
Speaking at a press conference in Rajkot, Kejriwal announced that if voted to power in Gujarat, the AAP will provide Rs 40 per day for maintenance of each cow in the state. Cattlepounds will be constructed in each district to keep stray cows and unproductive cattle, he said.
On his previous visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 30 launched the Rs 500-crore Mukhyamantri Gau Poshan Yojana under which each cow would get Rs 30 per day for its upkeep.
“In Delhi, we give Rs 40 per day for the maintenance of each cow — Delhi government gives Rs 20 and Nagar Nigam gives Rs 20. If AAP forms a government in Gujarat, we will give Rs 40 per day per cow (for maintenance). And we will construct cattlepounds in each district where stray cows and cows that have stopped producing milk can be kept,” Kejriwal said.
Quoting an “Intelligence Bureau report” from a “source”, Kejriwal said, “If elections were held today, as per this IB report, the Aam Aadmi Party is forming the government in Gujarat, though by a thin margin… of a few seats. The people of Gujarat will have to give a powerful push to make us a government by a majority.”
Claiming that after the report, the BJP and Congress united and have been holding secret meetings, the Delhi CM said, “The BJP especially is very furious… And you must have seen in the past few days they come out of these secret meetings and abuse me in the same language. The BJP is not abusing the Congress, nor is the Congress abusing the BJP, but both are abusing us…”
Alleging that the BJP is making all efforts to strengthen the Congress so that anti-BJP votes are divided, Kejriwal said, “People who are angry with the BJP… their votes are divided. Congress has been given the responsibility to draw as many votes of AAP as possible.”
He claimed that some leaders of the Congress wanted to join the BJP who told them to stay for now. “I want to tell the people of Gujarat — be on your guard. The Congress is not getting more than 10 seats this elections… the Congress is finished. And even these who will win these 10 seats will join the BJP. For 27 years, we had no alternative, now God has given us one, we should not lose this opportunity… Don’t vote for the Congress and make the BJP victorious… it is not in the interest of Gujarat,” said Kejriwal.
Later in the day, Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addressed a rally in Surendranagar of Saurashtra region.
On Saturday night, Kejriwal participated in a garba celebration in Rajkot.