- By Aashish Vashistha
- Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal claimed that several members from the BJP's 'Pandit Prakoshth' (Priest Cell) have joined his party's 'Sanatana Sewa Samiti'. During a press conference on Wednesday, Kejriwal introduced the new joiners, including Vijay Sharma, Jitendra Sharma, Brijesh Sharma, Manish Gupta, Dushyant Sharma, and Udaykant Jha, among others.
The announcement was made in the presence of AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Saurabh Bharadwaj. The Delhi Assembly elections 2025 will be held on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8.
जगदगुरु रामानुजाचार्य स्वामी योगेश्वराचार्य जी महाराज, जगदगुरु स्वामी अवधेश प्रपन्नाचार्य जी महाराज, आचार्य श्री मधुर दास जी महाराज समेत सभी संत महात्मा एवं आचार्य गणों का आशीर्वाद प्राप्त कर आज हम धन्य हो गए। उनकी उपस्थिति और आशीर्वचन हमारे लिए अत्यंत प्रेरणादायक रहेंगे। pic.twitter.com/QKkNv8uLHb
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 8, 2025
"I am happy that we started the education and health revolution and now we are starting this revolution for our priests,” the former Delhi CM said after welcoming the new members. "We will provide Rs 18,000 to our priests as promised under the guidance of these priests," he added.
Earlier on Monday, Kejriwal said that his party would launch a 'Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana' if voted to power again in Delhi. He promised a monthly allowance of Rs 18,000 for Hindu temple priests and granthis of gurdwaras.
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Following the announcement, AAP reportedly started registering eligible priests for its scheme, attracting attention from various groups, including members of the BJP's temple cell.
The scheme closely resembles the honorarium already provided by the Delhi Waqf Board under the Kejriwal government, which offers Rs 17,000 to Maulvis and Rs 16,000 to muezzins at registered mosques.