New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (March 27, 2023) addressed the Delhi Assembly and spoke about his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's recent budget for the financial year 2023-24. In a nearly half-an-hour speech, the AAP supremo lauded the new Delhi model of governance and called it a zero-corruption model and asserted that his government has accomplished in eight years what other political parties failed to do since 1947, the year of India's independence. As the 54-year-old was listing out the AAP government's achievements including the expansion of the Delhi Metro, some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs interjected and cited the Centre's role in the development of the national capital. Kejriwal, however, took a dig at them and said that the universe came into being after 2014, the year when their party came to power at the Centre.


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"Sab kuch aap hi ki kripa hai... Ye chaand, ye sitare, ye aasmaan, ye dharti... Is srishti ki rachna hi 2014 me hui thi... (Everything is because of you... The moon, the stars, the sky, the land are all there because of you... The universe came into being after 2014...)," Kejriwal said sarcastically, in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as other AAP lawmakers burst into laughter.



He then continued listing AAP's achievements and said that 193-kilometre metro line and 143 stations were constructed between 1998 and 2015, while during his government, since 2015, 390 km-long metro was constructed and 286 stations came up.


Kejriwal also stated the capital is fast becoming the best livable city in the country and that the new Delhi model has given a hope to the country. He explained that the model means -- free and good education, medical treatment, free electricity and water.


Kejriwal said Delhi was earlier known for CWG scam and CNG scam but now it's known for excellent schools and hospitals.


"Delhi model is zero-corruption model... Delhi has the least inflation in the country. Delhi model is arranging world-class health, transport, 24x7 electricity and water supply and creating a clean and modern city.


"It's a model of all including Hindus, Muslims, all castes, men and women. In 75 years, people have not seen such a model," the AAP chief said.


"They exhausted all their resources in saying that there is an excise scam but people are not accepting what they (BJP) are saying. The work carried out in the last eight years is much more than what has been done since Independence," he added.



"There are very few cities in the world that offer free transport services to women and Delhi is one of them. In the last three years, 100 crore free bus rides were availed. In 65 years, 5865 buses arrived in Delhi, while today there are 7,379 buses. Delhi has the highest electric vehicles," Kejriwal said.


Attacking the Centre, he said that there is an educated government in Delhi, while there is an 'illiterate government' at the Centre.