Kejriwal launches phase 2 of padyatra from Rajouri Garden in west Delhi

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched the second phase of his padyatra from Rajouri Garden, west Delhi, and said that the upcoming Delhi assembly elections are a decisive choice for the people between “preserving Delhi’s progress” or allowing it to revert to an “era of power cuts, inflated bills and broken infrastructure.” The second phase of the padyatras will cover all Delhi assembly constituencies in November and December.
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The Delhi assembly elections are scheduled for early 2025.
Addressing the gathering at Rajouri Garden, Kejriwal said, “The election is a choice between safeguarding the significant progress Delhi has made in the past decade and reverting to outdated systems of governance. This election is not just about re-electing the AAP. It’s about saving Delhi.”
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In response, the BJP appealed to Delhi’s residents to ask the AAP leaders, whenever they approach them, about the failures of the corruption-ridden AAP government over the past 10 years. Leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta said that people should show the AAP leaders the garbage in their neighbourhoods, the broken roads, clogged sewers, drinking water issues, and ask them why pollution in Delhi is so high, why the Yamuna is so polluted, why stubble burning in Punjab cannot be prevented, why Delhi’s transport system has deteriorated so badly, how the Delhi Jal Board ended up in a ₹73,000-crore deficit, why sewage treatment plants were not set up, and why CAG reports are not being presented in the Assembly.
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The AAP chief said that Delhi residents should “secure the city’s future” by voting for a government committed to inclusivity and progress. “Our opponents don’t want to serve the people. They just want control over Delhi. They want to turn Delhi into another Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, or Madhya Pradesh…consider the progress we had achieved together over the past decade,” Kejriwal said.
Earlier in the day, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said in a press conference that Kejriwal was launching the second phase of the padyatras (foot marches) in the national capital which will cover all Delhi assembly constituencies in November and December. Singh said that these marches are being organised so that Kejriwal could directly connect with the people. The first phase of the AAP padyatras were launched in August after which they were paused for Diwali festivities.
Kejriwal said that the city has undergone a transformation over the last ten years. “Delhi faced prolonged power cuts that often lasted eight-10 hours…Now, even with demand peaking at 8,500 MW this past summer, not a single power cut occurred in Delhi which enjoys 24-hour electricity. Delhi households pay either zero or minimal charges such as ₹500 or ₹700 per month,” he said.
Kejriwal also referred to high water bills in the city. “Some people have received incorrect water bills but once we come back to power, I will waive all these bills within a month. We had similarly waived old water bills in 2014, fulfilling the promise of making utilities affordable for all. Back then when people showed me their water and electricity bills, I assured them that once elected I would waive the old bills and reduce future charges to zero. Did we do it or not?” he said.
He alleged that the BJP had stopped all ongoing work behind his back when he was jailed. “But now, wherever roads were broken, repair work has begun. Wherever sewers were overflowing, work is now underway,” he said.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office, Gupta appealed to the public to ask AAP leaders why citizens over 70 years of age in Delhi are not receiving benefits from the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He also raised the question of why 90,000 poor people in Delhi are not being issued ration cards