Toll exemption for journalists: How Arvind Kejriwal and AAP's 'gift' lacks standard!
Every aam aadmi knows the importance of budgeting — go for the sunflower oil that saves you 10 bucks, go for the soap that gives you a free face wash. And the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has done the same with their recent election-results-altering announcement.
For the uninitiated, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has proposed that journalists all over India be exempted from paying toll.
Ever.
“Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal writes to Union Minister @nitin_gadkari: Journalists should get an exemption from toll tax all over the country!” said a tweet sent out by AAP’s official handle that set Twitter ablaze.
Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal writes to Union Minister @nitin_gadkari: Journalists should get an exemption from toll tax all over the country !
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 4, 2019
“Some journalists from Haryana met me & requested that they should be exempted from paying toll tax in Haryana. I think this demand of the journalists is very genuine and must be accepted.... 1/2"- @ArvindKejriwal
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 4, 2019
"2/2....I think & thus request you to please exempt journalists all over the country be exempted from paying toll tax”- @ArvindKejriwal
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 4, 2019
Whatever Kejriwal’s intentions may have been, the move was soon interpreted as ‘appeasement’, a 'gift', or better still, a ploy to ‘bribe’ journalists for better press.
Appeasement, at it's best.....!
— Ameer Shahul (@ameershahul) February 5, 2019
This is inducement for free publicity They are professionals and need to be compensated by employers.Dont indulge in indirect corruption.
— Alauddin علاء الدين (@Alauddin1809) February 5, 2019
My article(a story) came on a newspaper when I was in 5th. Can I get exemption?What about doctors? They are going to save lives. Where to draw the line?
— Sarada Dash (@SaradaDash1) February 5, 2019
Soap ke saath facewash free. Tweet ke saath good press free.
Please add samosa service for them at toll tax.
— Rakesh Bhat (@rakeshbhatggn) February 5, 2019
Clearly, AAP has run out of party funds. Else why would they need to approach the BJP government for the needful?
Others asked why this Kolavari Di with, say, doctors or engineers, teachers or people who actually listened to their parents, were inspired by Sharmaji ka beta, studied hard and had a real job. But most had a hearty laugh.
As did we.
Is it AAP parody account by any chance?
— Dev Singhal (@devSinghal) February 5, 2019
Please make it free for income tax payers also. We are a vanishing breed
— R. Balakrishnan (@BalakrishnanR) February 6, 2019
After several minutes of rolling on the floor guffawing, when we finally got a hold of ourselves, we identified the insult carefully camouflaged behind this supposed well-wishing tweet. Really now, Mr Kejriwal? Exemption from toll tax? Is that the standard of 'bribe' we deserve?
Let’s talk money.
January ended with 50 AAP MLAs refusing to declare their assets to the Lokayukta, calling the RTI filed by advocate Vivek Garg ‘politically motivated.’ “There is no law which forces the MLAs to file the details of their assets and liabilities to the Lokayukta,” said AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj, even as Lokayukta Justice (retd) Reva Khetrapal said: “All Supreme Court judges declare their assets and liabilities. They are not obliged to do so. Every High Court judge does the same. They have volunteered to file and place it on the public domain. They have no obligation but they do it for the sake of transparency and probity.”
The question, therefore, is — why is a party that came to power on the promise of transparency now being so opaque?
And is this perhaps AAP’s way of stopping us from asking the above question?
If that’s the case, Mr Kejriwal, let’s talk villas and foreign vacations. 'Toll exemption' is covered in our conveyance claims.
Finally, here’s a piece of advice. It's looking likely you’ve lost the plot — of Delhi, both literally and figuratively. Could you perhaps maybe just stop proving it every single day?