'This is to scare...': FM Nirmala Sitharaman targets Arvind Kejriwal on freebies

Kejriwal on Thursday targeted the Centre for denouncing free facilities given by his party to the taxpayers and asked where is all the money of the Union Government going, OTI reported.

New Delhi: Amid the escalating ‘freebies’ and ‘free ki revdi’ debate between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched an attack on Arvind Kejriwal for his “where is the Centre’s money going” barb. Calling the freebies model of governance a threat to the economy, the finance minister on Thursday said that they want a debate and discussion on the matter. “Arvind Kejriwal is giving a perverse twist to freebies on Health and Education. This is to scare the public. We want a debate and discussion on freebies,” ANI quoted Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as saying.

Arvind Kejriwal is giving a perverse twist to freebies on Health and Education. This is to scare the public. We want a debate and discussion on freebies: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

(File Pic) pic.twitter.com/pFglmWZA84

— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2022

Before Sitharaman, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla targeted Arvind Kejriwal’s freebies model of governance.

"Revdi culture is about dishing out lollipops for political gains and it makes no transformation to people's lives. It misuses taxpayers' money with the rich benefiting at the cost of the poor," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said as he targeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his counter-offensive after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's denunciation of freebies.

Arvind Kejriwal on Centre’s Finance

Meanwhile, Kejriwal on Thursday targeted the Centre for denouncing free facilities given by his party to the taxpayers and asked where is all the money of the Union Government going.

There seems to be something wrong with the Centre's finances the way it is "strongly opposing" free facilities for people, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.

Citing the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme, reduction in states' share in central taxes from 42 per cent to 29 per cent, Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on food items and 25 per cent cut in MNREGA fund, Kejriwal asked where was all the money going.

He said the Centre collects a huge amount of taxes, including Rs 3.5 lakh per annum on petrol and diesel, and was still against providing people of the country free education, healthcare and other facilities.