Delhi polls: AAP dares Gambhir to give up free facilities, MP hits back

Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday dared BJP's Lok Sabha MP Gautam Gambhir to first give up all the free facilities he enjoys as an MP, after he opposed free facilities for the public, which claim has been denied by the cricketer-turned-politician.

Speaking to the media, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the BJP and its leaders can say whatever they want but the AAP government, if elected again, will continue free services for the next five years.

"BJP leaders continuously oppose free facilities provided to the people of Delhi, now Gambhir has joined the list."

Singh said that Gambhir should first give up all the free facilities he enjoys as an MP before opposing free facilities for the public.

He said the BJP leaders are continuously opposing the free welfare schemes of the AAP government.

Singh reassured the people of Delhi that the BJP's statements do not matter, because after coming to power, the AAP government will continue all the current welfare schemes.

"Several leaders of the BJP have time and again conveyed their anti-development and regressive stance including opposition to basic services such as electricity and water being free, and it is good that their true intentions have been revealed before the assembly elections are held."

Singh named BJP's Vijay Goel, Prakash Javadekar, Anil Jain and Gambhir, who contradicted the claims made by Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari that the BJP will provide five times higher subsidy than at present to the people of Delhi, if they form the government

"Gambhir has now said that people do not understand the importance of services if they are provided to them free of cost," said Singh.

Singh added that as a Members of Parliament, Gambhir gets 50,000 units of free electricity every year.

" Gambhir should first give up the free electricity, free train and airplane rides and all the other essential services offered by the centre to the MPs, before questioning the services provided to the common man," said Singh.

He added that the inflation rate in the country has been consistently rising due to policies of the Centre, while the AAP government is reducing the expenditure load of common people.

A war of words erupted soon after between the AAP and Gambhir as, in response to Singh's charges, the BJP MP called Kejriwal a "hypocrite CM" .

Gambhir, who had defeated AAP's Atishi by a huge margin in the last Lok Sabha election, clarified that he is not against free schemes for the poor.

"I have never said that poor should not get free services. Only that people who can afford should be charged a nominal amount!!"

"I have not taken a single governmemt benefit in 8 months unlike your hypocrite CM who had been advertising himself at the taxpayers' expense for 5 years."

The AAP-BJP war of words is set to intensify in the coming days as the AAP has released its first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections and the BJP is all set to release its first list by Thursday night or Friday morning.

Polls are due in Delhi on February 8 and the results will be known on February 11.