Arvind Kejriwal: Rs.18,000 Monthly for Hindu, Sikh Priests If AAP Wins
Arvind Kejriwal announced the “Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana,” offering ?18,000 monthly honorarium to Hindu and Sikh priests if AAP wins the Delhi elections, sparking debate.
On December 30, 2024, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), unveiled a new scheme called the “Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana.” Under this scheme, Hindu and Sikh priests, also known as pujaris and granthis, will receive a monthly honorarium of ?18,000 if the AAP wins the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections and returns to power.
While announcing the scheme, Kejriwal praised the contribution of temple priests and gurdwara granthis in promoting culture and rituals across Delhi and NCR. He said, "The temple priests and gurdwara granthis make important contributions to society, but no government or party has paid attention to them."
The registrations for the scheme began the very next day, on December 31, 2024, at Connaught Place’s famous Hanuman Mandir, with AAP MLAs and workers leading the process. Soon, the registrations will be extended to all temples and gurdwaras in Delhi.
The Delhi Assembly elections are expected to take place in mid-February 2025, although the exact date has not yet been announced. In preparation for the polls, Kejriwal and AAP are working to overcome several controversies, including Kejriwal’s previous arrests, his resignation, and accusations involving AAP leaders like Swati Maliwal and Atishi Marlena.
This announcement of the "Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana" is the second major scheme introduced by AAP in just one month. On December 12, 2024, Kejriwal’s Cabinet approved the “Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana,” offering a ?1,000 monthly allowance to women. However, Kejriwal later promised to increase this amount to ?2,100 per month if AAP wins the election. Despite starting the registration process, AAP faced criticism from Delhi’s Women and Child Development Department, which called the project “non-existent.” The BJP accused AAP of trying to cheat the people, even sending police to stop the registration process.
As a result, when announcing the new priest and granthi scheme, Kejriwal requested that the BJP refrain from interfering with the registrations, warning that doing so could anger God, leading to misfortune for the party.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s BJP has strongly criticized the “Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana,” calling it a “new scheme to cheat people.” They also accused Kejriwal of being an “anti-Hindu” politician. The Delhi BJP claims that the scheme is an attempt to gain votes by luring influential Hindu and Sikh priests, who play an important role in their communities.
Sikh and Hindu priests have a strong influence among their followers, especially in areas with a high number of Sikh voters. Reports suggest that Sikhs have a significant presence in around five of the 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi, and several other constituencies also have a large number of Sikh voters.
In the 2019 elections, AAP increased the monthly allowances for imams from ?10,000 to ?18,000, but reports indicate that many imams have not received the payments for the past 14 months.
As the election approaches, all eyes are on Kejriwal and AAP’s strategy to win the hearts of Delhi voters. Whether the “Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana” will prove successful in securing their support remains to be seen.
What do you think about this new initiative by Kejriwal? Will it help AAP win the upcoming elections? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
