Arvind Kejriwal’s retort to PM Modi

Photo : ANI

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, “Giving free and good education to the children of our country and providing free treatment to the people is not called distributing free revadi. We are laying the foundation of a developed and proud India. This work should have been done 75 years ago.”

“There is a boy named Gagan, whose father used to work as a labourer. Gagan’s father, who used to earn Rs 15,000 per month lost his job during the lockdown. Today, Gagan has got admission at IIT Dhanbad in computer engineering. Ask him if I’m distributing free revadis or building the future of this country,” Kejriwal said.

The Delhi Chief Minister took a veiled swipe at PM Modi, saying that providing free education and healthcare is not freebies, but “waiving loans of friends is called “free ki revadi”.

“I will tell you who is distributing ‘Revadis’ and giving freebies. This waiving of friends’ loans worth thousands of crores and getting contracts worth thousands of crores from foreign tours for friends are giving freebies,” he said, without naming anyone.

Kejriwal also asked if it is wrong to provide quality education to underprivileged students of the country for free. The AAP chief also said that two kinds of politics — one of honesty and the other of corruption — were being practised in the country today.

“I am being abused that ‘Kejriwal is distributing free revadis’. I am giving excellent education in our government schools to over 18 lakh poor and middle-class children of Delhi for free. I want to ask the country – am I distributing free revadis or building the future of this country?” he asked.

He stressed that a sound foundation for making India the number one country in the world needs to be laid by giving good education and health services to all.

The AAP chief also claimed that around four lakh students left private schools for public schools over the past few years.