Taking a dig at the AAP government in Delhi over the Rs-18,000 honorarium announced for priests and granthis, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav questioned the ruling party on the pending wages of imams for which they had to stage protest.

He said on the one hand Kejriwal has been making promises to women, the elderly, autorickshaw drivers, temple priests and granthis of gurudwaras while on the other, the Delhi government issues public notices to clarify that the Rs 2,100 monthly freebie announced for women and health insurance for the elderly were not government schemes and hence people should not share their personal details with AAP leaders or agents.

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Pointing out that while the imams and muezzins, employed under the Delhi Waqf Board, staged a protest outside Kejriwal’s residence for their outstanding dues, DTC employees have been agitating for the past many months for the payment of their pending salaries, he lamented that instead of clearing their dues, Kejriwal is busy announcing sops. “Kejriwal is making desperate attempts to varnish his tainted image to regain his lost ground by announcing various freebies to influence the
voters with an eye on the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections,” he added.

Yadav regretted that the AAP’s announcement has come at a time when neither the Delhi government not the MCD has the money for the repair of the broken roads, clearance of heaps of garbage lying unattended on the streets threatening spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, improving of the despicable condition of government hospitals lacking proper equipment, medicines, and adequate staff. He said Kejriwal has no answer to many such civic and health issues.