In the wake of elections, the AAP has begun aggressive campaigning to win over Goa. Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi Chief Minister, pledged free pilgrimage to different holy sites, including the Ram shrine in Ayodhya, if his party is elected to power in the state.
The declaration of a free pilgrimage is the third in a series of ‘assured’ promises made to the people of Goa by the AAP leader, who previously promised free, continuous electricity supply and an unemployment stipend. While Ayodhya and the temple of Sai Baba in Shirdi are provided as possibilities for Hindus, Christians are offered the Church of Our Lady in Velankanni in Tamil Nadu, and Muslims are offered a free journey to Ajmer sharif, the mausoleum of famed Sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti, located in Rajasthan’s Ajmer.
Goa Assembly elections: Hectic political activity is underway!
“We had also pledged that, given the dire state of the tourist and mining industries, we would provide Rs 5,000 per month to each household,” Kejriwal was quoted as saying by PTI. “I’m not making any new promises, Kejriwal stated. He added that their chief minister’s pilgrimage plan has been running for a few years in Delhi. They started it three years ago, but it was halted two years ago owing to the coronavirus. They brought almost 35,000 people on pilgrimage in the first year.
Kejriwal stated that he felt compelled to launch the Goa project after visiting Ayodhya. On October 27, the Delhi government accepted the inclusion of Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya in the Delhi government’s free pilgrimage plan for elderly persons.
Arvind Kejriwal also slammed the BJP administration in Goa, while campaigning for his party claiming that the party was attempting to shelter Chief Minister Pramod Sawant from corruption charges levelled by former Governor Satya Pal Malik.
