Swaraj accuses former CM of election gimmicks

Bansuri Swaraj, Member of Parliament for New Delhi, criticised former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, accusing him of using election gimmicks and deceit to manipulate the public ahead of elections. Swaraj targeted Kejriwal for his recent promises to priests and religious leaders, claiming they were politically motivated.

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Swaraj pointed out the contradiction in Kejriwal’s approach, accusing him of neglecting the problems of imams who have not been paid their salaries for the 17 months. “On one side, Kejriwal is making electoral promises to priests, yet the imams who have been receiving salaries for years have not been paid for the last 17 months,” said Swaraj. She stated when the imams protested outside Kejriwal’s residence, instead of addressing their grievances, Kejriwal used Punjab Police to intimidate them.

The MP also accused Kejriwal of playing appeasement politics. She alleged Kejriwal’s gestures toward religious figures were nothing more than a calculated attempt to secure votes. “Arvind Kejriwal, known for appeasement politics, has only been pacifying the imams by calling it an ‘honorarium.’ If he genuinely cares about priests and granthis, there is no election in Delhi right now, nor is there any code of conduct in place. He could ask Chief Minister Atishi to convene a cabinet meeting today and implement this immediately. However, Kejriwal won’t do this because all he wants is to run his electoral bluff,” Swaraj said.