The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the second part of its 'Sankalp patra' or manifesto on Tuesday (Jan 21) for the upcoming Delhi election scheduled for February 5. The party promised to address citizens' concerns and announced plans to establish a team to investigate "misgovernance and corruption" allegedly carried out by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

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The manifesto also included a series of freebies, such as free education, from preschool to postgraduate level, for "needy students" enrolled in Delhi government institutions. Additionally, young men and women preparing for entrance examinations were promised Rs 15,000 in financial assistance, along with reimbursements for travel expenses.

For students from Scheduled Castes pursuing technical and professional courses, the BJP proposed a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000.

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AAP responds

Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal criticised the BJP’s manifesto, accusing the party of planning to dismantle free education in Delhi’s state-run schools and public healthcare services.

Also read: India: ‘They want to eliminate Arvind Kejriwal’, says Delhi CM Atishi after attack on AAP supremo’s car

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Speaking at a press conference, Kejriwal claimed the BJP’s promise to restrict free education to only "needy" students was a direct attack on the progress made in Delhi’s education system, which currently benefits 1.8 million children.

He argued that such a move would place a heavy financial burden on families, saying:Private school fees for two children could cost up to ₹10,000 per month.”

Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP’s plans to reduce free healthcare services, including the widely used Mohalla Clinics, which would lead to additional monthly costs of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 for basic medical needs.

“Altogether, this would mean an extra Rs 15,000 per month for an average household, making life in Delhi unaffordable for many families,he said.

The AAP leader took to social media platform X, saying,In both manifestos, the BJP has openly declared that they will shut down Mohalla Clinics and stop free education in government schools. Their sole agenda in these elections is to dismantle all schemes benefiting the people of Delhi.”

(With inputs from agencies)