'Not Aadhaar, Need Udhaar Card Now': AAP Claims Credit for Low Inflation in Delhi, Counters BJP's 'Revdi' Taunt

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has rushed to claim credit for the lowest inflation in the Capital compared to the all-India average, using the opportunity to hit out at the Centre for imposing myriad taxes on the common man.

The National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, on Wednesday released the All India Consumer Price Index and corresponding Consumer Food Price Index for Rural and Urban combined for the month of August.

Compared to the all India average of 6.83 per cent, Delhi had the lowest combined inflation of 3.09 per cent, followed by Assam at 4 per cent and West Bengal at 4.79 per cent. According to the statistics, many states have higher rate of inflation than the national average. This includes Rajasthan at 8.63 per cent, Haryana at 8.27 per cent, Odisha at 8.23 per cent, and Telangana at 8.27 per cent. The other AAP-ruled state of Punjab had 7.34 per cent inflation.

While inflation has been a cause of concern for the Narendra Modi-led central government and is a result of several complex factors, AAP rushed to claim credit for staving off the spectre in its home turf of Delhi.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha quoted a song from the popular film Peepli Live to hit the message home. “There was a film called Peepli Live which had a song ‘Sakhi Sainyaan Toh Khoob Hi Kamaat Hai, Mehengai Dayan Khaye Jaat Hai’. This resonates among the majority of the people in the country today.

“This Modi government, in the past nine years, has broken records in inflation. I say with a lot of sadness that this country is witnessing uncontrolled inflation due to which a common man’s plate of lunch costs 24 per cent more. The ‘prachand bahumat’ BJP government has imposed taxes on milk, curd, wheat, pulses, tea and coffee on which taxes were not imposed even by the British. In this age of falling incomes and rising prices, people don’t need an Aadhaar card but an Udhaar card.”

Chadha argued that Delhi’s fight was successful as chief minister Arvind Kejriwal provided a shield that protected citizens from the ‘arrows’ of inflation.

The reason for low inflation in Delhi, according to Chadha, was the “welfare model of Arvind Kejriwal, the Kejriwal mehengai rahaat model”.

Chadha went on to elaborate the various benefits that the Delhi government gives its citizens — 300 units of free electricity, 20,000 litres of free water, free education and health and free bus travel for women along with free pilgrimage for the old. “If one adds up expenses on these counts, one will see that a common family in Delhi is able to save Rs 15,000-16,000 every month.”

“I would like to tell the people that this is not ‘revdi’. These are pre-paid services as even the poorest pay taxes on every commodity and service,” Chadha replied to BJP’s charge of distributing ‘revdis’. He also said despite all the free services, the Kejriwal government was debt-free.

Drawing a parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal, Chadha fell back on the mythology of the Mahabharat. “When Bhishma was lying on his bed of arrows, he had spoken to Yudhishtir of 36 qualities that a king should possess. One was collection of resources from people without the use of harsh measures,” he said, arguing that while the central government had discarded Raj Dharma, the chief minister of a state abided by the same. “Kejriwal has the 36 qualities elaborated by Bhishma but they are not in PM Modi or the BJP government.”

However, there is no denying that the central government has taken several steps to combat inflation — especially food inflation.