Arvind Kejriwal’s new Yojana promises Rs 18k a month to priests amid women’s scheme row

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, December 30, 2024: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’ under which the priests of temples and the ‘granthis’ of the Gurudwara will be paid a monthly honorarium of nearly Rs 18,000.

Kejriwal’s latest announcement comes as Delhi goes to Assembly polls in nearly two months. The new ‘Yojana’ was announced as a scheme row struck AAP in Delhi ahead of the 2025 elections over ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’, an initiative vowing to give a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100 to eligible women.

What is ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’?

Addressing a press conference, the former Delhi CM said that the AAP government will give an honorarium to temples’ priests and Gurudwara’s granthis.

“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," he said.

“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," the AAP chief added.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia thanked Kejriwal for the announcement of the scheme and said that the scheme will be implemented after the formation of the new government.

“When the Aam Aadmi Party government is formed, the priests of temples and the granthis of Gurudwara Sahib will be given their rights by giving them an honorarium of ₹ 18,000 per month. Respect for the culture and religious institutions of Delhi has always been Kejriwal’s priority," he tweeted.

‘Deception’: BJP on ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’

BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh reacted sharply to Kejriwal’s announcement calling it a “deception", and said that the BJP has been demanding for a long time salaries be given to priests, however, Kejriwal government only paid salaries to “maulvis in mosques".

“I have been saying for years that temple priests and all gurdwara granthis should also be given salaries. However, for the past 10 years, @ArvindKejriwal has been paying salaries only to the maulvis and their associates in Delhi’s mosques. Now, with elections approaching, he suddenly remembers the priests and granthis. This is what you call deception," he posted on X in Hindi.

What is ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ row?

Last week, Delhi LG VK Saxena ordered a probe into the allegations over AAP’s schemes, based on complaints by Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. The allegations included fraudulent collection of personal data under the pretext of AAP’s Mahila Samman Yojana, the presence of Punjab intelligence officers near the homes of Congress candidates, and allegations of cash transfers from Punjab to Delhi aimed at influencing the elections.

The Congress leader also raised concerns about the Mahila Samman Yojana.

The AAP has claimed that over 22 lakh women in Delhi have already registered for the Mahila Samman Yojana, which Kejriwal alleged, has “made the BJP nervous".

“First, they sent their goons, then the police came and dismantled the registration camp. Now, they’ve announced a sham investigation. What is there to investigate? We simply made an election promise that we would implement this if we won," Kejriwal earlier said.