Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘revdi culture’ remark against free services offered by the political parties, saying those who oppose such things, should be called “traitors”.
Addressing an online briefing, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener said that an atmosphere is being created against free government welfare services by terming them freebies, rather than planning to strengthen them in the 75th year of independence.
“There are some people who call the provision of free education, free treatment by government facilities as ‘rewadi’ or ‘freebies’. An atmosphere is being created in the country against provisions of free education at government schools and free treatment at government hospitals,” Kejriwal said.
He alleged, “We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence and we should be planning on strengthening such facilities but we are creating an atmosphere against them.”
He insisted the Centre to provide free good education, healthcare, 300 units of electricity to every household and offer an ‘unemployment allowance’.
Targeting further the BJP-led central government, the chief minister said, “These people waived off the loans of Rs 10 lakh crore of their friends. Such people should be billed as traitors and investigation carried out against them.”
Last month, PM Modi denounced those who resorted to collecting votes by distributing “free revdi” (sweets) implying freebies given by political parties, a practice he said has to be removed from the country’s politics.
Addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on July 16, the prime minister said, “This Revdi culture is very dangerous for the development of the country. Those with Revadi culture will never build new expressways, new airports or defence corridors for you. Together we have to defeat this thinking, remove Revdi culture from the politics of the country.”
He further said that the double-engine governments of the BJP in the states and the Centre are not resorting to “shortcuts of distributing the free revdi”, but “working hard to improve the future of the state”.
