Arvind Kejriwal launches registration for Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana, to provide Rs.... to priests

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched the registration for Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana. He visited the Shri Marghat Wale Baba Mandir at Kashmere Gate along with his wife Sunita Kejriwal to start the registration for the scheme.

This comes after the former Chief Minister of Delhi on Monday announced 'Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana' under which he stated that the priests of temples and the 'granthis' of the Gurudwara will receive an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month. He further stated that this scheme would be implemented once the AAP from the government wins in the upcoming polls in the national capital.

"Today I am making an important announcement regarding a scheme. The name of the scheme is Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana. Under this, there is a provision to give an honorarium to the priests of temples and the 'granthis' of the Gurudwara. They will be given an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month. This is happening for the first time in the country. The priest is a class that has carried forward the rituals from generation to generation. They never paid attention to their family and we never paid attention to them," said Kejriwal.

"We know how pujaris serve us. Be it the birthday of our kid or the death of a loved one, they have always connected us with God. But they never gave attention to their own families, and neither did we pay enough attention to them. This is happening for the first time in the country. We have done many works in the national capital which happened for the very first time. We improved schools and hospitals and made bus travel for women. I just hope that the BJP and the Congress governments will learn from this and will implement such schemes in the state run by them," he added.

Reacting to this, Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva attacked the AAP government after they announced 'Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana' and said that Arvind Kejriwal is now a defeated and desperate leader who is making "populist announcements to stay in power."

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, the Delhi BJP chief said that the AAP knows they are going to lose Delhi elections that's why they are remembering 'Lord Ram.'

"Arvind Kejriwal is now a defeated and desperate leader who is making daily populist announcements to stay in power. They (the Delhi government) have to reply in court, why they didn't pay for Priests and Granthis like Maulavis - to get rid of that, they have announced this scheme (Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana)... When you (AAP) see that you are losing ground, 'tumhe Ram naam yaad aa raha hai'," Sachdeva said.

He further said that due to the ongoing pressure of the movement by the Delhi BJP and its Pujari Prakosht for more than two years, Arvind Kejriwal was forced to announce the Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana.