We will provide equal levels of education to children of poor and rich through government schools of Punjab: Arvind Kejriwal

AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal vowed to revolutionise Punjab’s education system as well as to give Rs 1 crore to families of martyrs.

New Delhi/Punjab: Making colossal waves in Punjab’s political arena, AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced two game-changing guarantees during AAP’s Tiranga Yatra in Pathankot. He has vowed to revolutionise Punjab’s education system as well as to give Rs 1 crore to families of martyrs. Arvind Kejriwal said that his fourth guarantee for Punjab is that AAP will overhaul the condition of Punjab’s schools, provide world-class education like Delhi for free.

He said that the AAP Government will demolish the hellish schools of Punjab to build new schools of international standards and provide equal levels of education to the children of poor and rich through the government schools of Punjab. He stated that Punjab should give AAP just one chance and see how Presidents and Prime Ministers from all over the globe come to see the schools of Punjab. Announcing his fifth guarantee to the people of Punjab he said that if any jawan of Punjab serving in the army or Punjab Police is martyred on duty, then their family will be given a Samman Rashi of one crore rupees.

Countering Punjab CM Charanjit Channi’s cheap jibes at him, he said, "Kaale Hai Toh Kya Hua Dilwale Hai" and added that he may be dark-skinned, but his intentions are clear and pious. He added that this dark-skinned man wearing cheap clothes will fulfill all his promises when the AAP government is formed; I don't make false promises like Channi Sahib.

AAP Senior Leader and Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said that the Congress Government would not have needed to lock its schools fearing Arvind Kejriwal had they worked upon them even once in 5 years.

AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was greeted by an enormous crowd of localites and party workers at the Amritsar Airport who had gathered to welcome him and motivate AAP in its endeavours. From there, Kejriwal headed to Pathankot for AAP’s Tiranga Yatra. The Tiranga Yatra started at the Vedi Petrol Pump and went on till the Garhi Ahata Chowk. The Yatra saw an endless sea of supporters join in support as Kejriwal led the crowd into a patriotic fervour with the chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

The Yatra was marked by the presence of AAP Senior Leaders like Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Punjab Convenor & MP Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Co-incharge & Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha along with senior Punjab state unit leaders Harpal Cheema, Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Vibhuti Sharma, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Raman Bahl.

Consider myself extremely honoured that I have had the privilege of visiting the land of brave martyrs: Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal said, “My heart is full today. The amount of love that has poured out in the form of this sea of Tirangas makes me so happy that I can’t put it into words. I saw similar seas of Tirangas during the Anna Andolan in the Ram Lila Maidan. The sky would resound with the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Today, I salute this land of martyrs and warriors, Pathankot. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was telling me today that the maximum number of soldiers in the Indian Army belong to Gurdaspur and Pathankot. And till now, the largest number of martyrs have been people from these cities. I consider myself extremely honoured that I have had the privilege of visiting the land of the martyrs.” 

Have given a guarantee to people of Punjab whenever I have come here: Kejriwal

He continued, “Till now, whenever I visited Punjab, I left with a guarantee – a promise of change we will bring when the Aam Aadmi Party forms the government here. I ensured three guarantees saying that if we don’t deliver on these, you can vote us out of power after 5 years. The first guarantee we gave was regarding electricity. Current rates of electricity are extremely high in Punjab, bills go up to thousands. But in Delhi, we ensured that people receive 200 units of free electricity.

"So we have guaranteed to the people of Punjab, that when our party comes to power, 300 units of electricity will be free and ensure a 24 hour supply. We will get rid of the long power cuts people face here. We will give uninterrupted electricity supply like we have done in Delhi. We are not exaggerating or making empty promises. Everything I mention has been achieved by us in Delhi. And last point under this guarantee is that we will waive off everyone’s previous electricity bills worth lakhs. This was our first guarantee. Our second guarantee was in the health sector. We have developed Mohalla Clinics in Delhi that everyone knows about. Similarly, we will build these Mohalla Clinics in every Pind, every colony in Punjab," he said.

Total 16,000 Mohalla Clinics will come up in Punjab as per our calculation. Additionally, we will also develop new government hospitals and fix the existing ones. In Delhi, we ensured free supply of health facilities for people from a Crocin tablet to a treatment worth 70 lakhs. We hope and pray that no one falls ill. But in case they do, they need not worry for all their expenses are taken care of in Delhi’s government hospitals. We will implement the same policy in Punjab as well, and give free health treatment to all. The third guarantee I gave was for women. Every woman aged 18 and above, will receive Rs 1000 per month in their bank accounts.”

Even rich students are leaving private schools to study in Delhi’s government schools: Kejriwal

Kejriwal stated, “Now that I have come to Punjab again, I will only leave after giving you two more guarantees. My fourth guarantee is on education — now that we are standing on the land of the martyrs it is essential for us to think of how one can build the nation. Nothing surpasses the impact of good education when it comes to nation building. Once our children study well, it won’t take long for them to rid their families and the state of Punjab from the shackles of poverty. You must have heard about the education revolution of Delhi. Before we came to power in Delhi, the education system there was entirely broken. Like Punjab there were no teachers in the schools of Delhi. It took us only five years to completely transform the education system."

"This year itself, 99.7% students of our government schools passed with flying colors. That's not it, 2.5 lakh children of the rich studying in private schools got their names cut off and took admission in government schools. This has never happened. This is the first time in the whole country that children of rich people are getting admitted in government schools by getting names out of private schools, because government schools have become better. Getting admission in IIT is very difficult. This year 450 children of our government schools have got admission in IITs and doctors.”

Teachers of Punjab doing a great job but they are very distressed: Arvind Kejriwal

Kejriwal further said, “In Punjab, 24 lakh children of the poor study in government schools. Government schools are in bad shape. They should be fixed. My first guarantee regarding education is that it will be the responsibility of the Punjab government to provide free and good education to every child born in Punjab. Now the children of the poor will also get a good education and the children of the rich will also get a good education. Secondly, we must build new schools for this revolution so we will build new ones as and when we come to power."

"We spend 25 per cent of Delhi's budget on schools. See, if our children are educated, then only will we take the country forward. The existing school buildings will be demolished and new magnificent school buildings will be constructed. Third, the teachers of Punjab are doing a great job, but they are very sad. Just now our Senior Leader Manish Sisodia had gone to a school where a teacher was teaching five classes for six thousand rupees. He is running the school by spending money from his own pocket. Where can one find such good teachers? All those teachers will be regularised who are temporary now. We will give them a good salary along with respect and all their issues will be resolved,” he added.

Presidents and PMs from the US, Canada, Britain will come to visit schools in Punjab: Arvind Kejriwal

The AAP National Convenor continued, “just a few days ago I had come to Punjab and said that we will provide good education like Delhi in Punjab also. On this, Channi Sahib said that education in Punjab is already very good. Education revolution is going on in Punjab. Yesterday Manish Sisodia went to a school and saw that the condition of government schools was terrible. Channi Sahib ended up issuing orders by evening to not allow Manish Sisodia to enter any school in Punjab. This is not good. I want to tell Channi Sahib that when our government is formed, then we will take you around in all the schools. We won't kick you out of our schools. By then, the current education minister Pargat Singh would have become the former education minister, and he too would be brought to the schools. We will make Punjab the land of thriving education. Last year when US President Trump came to Delhi to meet Modi ji, his wife Melania Trump said that she had heard about Delhi's government schools and I want to go to Delhi's government schools. Modi ji explained to them a lot that our private schools are very good, don't look at Kejriwal's schools. But she said that I will go and see Delhi’s government schools. She came to visit our schools and went back after attending a class and talking to the teachers and the children. Even within America, Delhi government schools are famous today. Give us one chance, Presidents and Prime Ministers from all over the US, Canada, Britain will come to visit schools in Punjab.”

If any jawan of Punjab is martyred on duty, their family will be given Samman Rashi of Rs 1 cr: Arvind Kejriwal

Giving his second guarantee, Arvind Kejriwal said, “today that we are standing on the land of the martyrs. Many people attain martyrdom, but when one of our soldiers dies, then everyone forgets his family. Governments do not give anything to his family. Ever since our government came to power in Delhi, we have made a scheme that if any soldier living from Delhi is martyred on the border or if anyone from Delhi Police is martyred then the Delhi government will assist the family with one crore rupees."

"Today I am announcing from the sacred land of Pathankot that if our government is formed in Punjab, any soldier of Punjab who martyrs on the border or anyone in the Punjab Police martyrs then his family will get one crore rupees as a Samman Rashi.”

'Have my caring mothers and supporting sisters all over Punjab who love me for who I am and do not care about how I look'

Replying to the cheap jibes and abuses hurled by Punjab CM Charanjit Channi, Kejriwal said, “Channi Sahib has been hurling abuses at me a lot since the last few days. When I announced that I would give 1,000 rupees a month to every woman, Channi Sahib said that Kejriwal wears very cheap and bad clothes. Somebody give five thousand rupees to Kejriwal, so he can wear good clothes."

"I want to tell  Channi Sahib, I am happy in whatever clothes I wear. But I will be happier when my daughters, my mothers and sisters buy new suits and wear them with glee because of the thousand rupees that I will give to them.”

'I don’t have a black heart and the public knows who the people with a black heart are'

He continued, “Channi Sahib then said that Kejriwal is dark-skinned. "Kaale Hai Toh Kya Hua Dilwale Hai". I want to tell Channi Sahib, I am dark-skinned, I embrace who I am, but my intentions are clear and pious. My intentions are good. I don’t have a black heart and the public knows who the people with a black heart are."

"In Punjab, I have my caring mothers and supporting sisters who love me for who I am not how I look. I want to tell Channi Sahib that once our government is formed, then this cheap clothed dark-skinned man will fulfill all his promises. Unlike you, he does not make false promises and false announcements.”

If you had worked in a single school in the last five years, you would not have had to lock schools out of fear of AAP: Sisodia

During this Yatra, Delhi's Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said, “pride will be added to the glory of this tricolour when every child of Punjab gets an excellent education. For several days in the past, discourse about the education system has been going on. Channi Sahib says that the Congress government has made Punjab's schools number one in the country in five years. I used to think the same because they were so confident. Yesterday I went to see a government school in Punjab in Channi Sahib's assembly itself. I felt terrible."

"I couldn’t have seen anything worse than that. Earlier 70 children used to study in the school I went to. The condition of the school has become so bad that now only 30 children are left there. The parents of those 40 children have got their names cut off. Toilets are disastrous and classrooms have spider-webs. There is no drinking water and there is only one teacher to teach five classes. He is also given a salary of only 6 thousand rupees. The situation was the same in the other schools as well. Channi Sahib felt that the system of so-called number one schools got exposed, so he ordered the officers not to allow me to enter the schools and put locks on the gates. I want to tell the Congress leaders that if you had worked in a single school in the last five years, you would not have had to lock schools out of fear of AAP,  fearing Arvind Kejriwal's politics.”