Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, today offered a new counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Revdi" comment on political parties handing out freebies to voters as he campaigned in Gujarat, where elections are due later this year.
"Some people are talking about 'Revdi' ... when Revdi is distributed among the public for free, then it's called "prasad" (devotional offering). But when it is given for free to your own friends and ministers, then it is 'paap' (a sin)," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said in Surat.
Mr Kejriwal had earlier said free water, electricity, health care or world class primary education are not Revdis but the responsibility of the state.
The "Revdi" back-and-forth started when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inaugurating an Expressway in Uttar Pradesh warned against freebies for votes and called it "very dangerous".
"In our country today, attempts are being made to bring a culture of winning votes by distributing 'revdis'. This 'revdi culture' is very dangerous for the development of the country. People of the country and especially the youth need to guard against this culture," PM Modi said.
He said proponents of 'revdi culture' will never make new expressways, airports and defence corridors.
"The revdi culture people think they will buy out people by distributing free revdi. We have to jointly defeat this thinking of theirs. Have to remove 'revdi culture' from the country's politics," PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister took no names but Mr Kejriwal shot off his response the same day, hours later.
"Those asking me why we give 200 units of free electricity in Delhi and 300 units in Punjab - I want to ask them, how many units of free electricity do you give your ministers? 4,000? 5,000? Those abusing me for making bus rides free for women are the same people who have spent thousands of crores on private jets," said the AAP chief.
"I will tell you what free revdis are. There is a big company. It took loans from many banks and did not repay. Banks went bankrupt. That company paid up to the ruling party and faced no action. That is free revdi," he had quipped.
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