With 6 promises, Arvind Kejriwal hopes to give a glimpse into Goa under AAP

Round-the-clock power supply and 300 free units of electricity, free bus travel for all women, Rs 3,000 monthly financial assistance for every woman above 18, and scrapping of a contentious provision of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act within a month. These are four of the six ‘guarantees’ announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), if it is voted to power in the Goa Assembly elections, slated to be held early next year. The other two are health insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh for every family, and a sports ground in every village.

Speaking at a party event in Panaji on Friday, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the people of Goa are disappointed with the politics of the BJP and the Congress.

“People vote for the Congress because they don’t like the BJP. But the Congress MLAs switch over to the BJP and help in forming their government… against whom the people voted. The BJP has done so much corruption, and voting for the BJP means broken roads, water shortages, long power-cuts and high electricity tariffs. People now want change… and they are looking with hope towards the AAP,” Kejriwal said.

The AAP and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) had announced the ‘Goa First’ alliance on September 13, calling it a “non-BJP, non-Congress” platform, which would offer an “alternative to the BJP-Congress collusion” in the state.

In 2022, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 20 of the state’s 40 seats, while the Congress returned with 11. The GFP contested the 2022 Assembly polls in alliance with the Congress and won one seat. Meanwhile, the AAP won two seats.

“Why vote for AAP? Today, I am giving these six guarantees to the people of Goa, that if AAP comes to power, these will be fulfilled. If we form the government, all the past electricity tariff arrears for domestic consumers will be waived off in a week, and 300 units of electricity will be given free and 24/7 electricity will be provided,” Kejriwal said, highlighting the successful implementation of similar guarantees in Delhi and Punjab.

The former Delhi chief minister said bus fare for women will be free in Goa if AAP is voted to power. “Also, every woman above the age of 18 will get Rs 3,000 in their [bank] account per month,” he added.

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On health cover, Kejriwal said, “In Punjab, we have given every family a health insurance of Rs 10 lakh. In Punjab, the card that we have given…even if the expenditure in a hospital is Rs 6 lakh or 7 lakh, the expense is paid by the government. If we have done it in Punjab, we will do it for you also.”

Also among the guarantees announced by AAP is the scrapping of Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act. The provision allows changes to the zoning of land parcels and modifications to the Regional Plan and Outline Development Plans at the direction of the government.

Critics have argued that such changes can undermine the state’s planning framework and protections for ecologically sensitive areas, and allege that they can be influenced by real estate interests and individual demands.

On a question from the crowd regarding where the money for these guarantees would come from, Kejriwal said, “I am an accounts person. I understand accounts. I was the joint commissioner in Income Tax before I resigned and joined activism. Trust me, and give me a chance. I fulfilled all these guarantees in Delhi and in Punjab.”

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“I have learnt that there is no shortage of money in the government, there is a shortage of intent,” he further said, adding, “If an honest government comes, there is a lot of money.”