With an eye on MCD polls in Delhi next year, the Delhi BJP has been promising to arrange for free Hindu pilgrimages for devotees in case they are voted to power.
The announcement comes after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announcing the facilitation of free pilgrimages by AAP for senior citizens wanting to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Taking the baton up, the BJP has made a similar announcement but for all devotees and not just senior citizens.
The party will be arranging for free pilgrimages every month, Delhi BJP general secretary (organisation) Siddhartha informed the media on Sunday.
While making the announcement, he flagged off a bus of pilgrims arranged by Mandawali ward president Kailash Yadav and said that workers from each ward will be working toward the same. BJP councillors in each ward have been given the charge to organise these free pilgrimages.
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"The BJP is committed to send people of the state(Delhi) for darshan of Hindutva pilgrim sites," Siddhartha said, alleging discrimination in the AAP government's similar initiative launched in March.
The AAP dispensation already has a ''Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana'' that allows senior citizens from Delhi to undertake a free pilgrimage. All expenses related to travel, food and accommodation are borne by the Delhi government.
In the last MCD polls in Delhi, the BJP had registered an impressive victory returning to power in the three corporations by winning a total 181 of 272 wards.
The closest rival of the party, the AAP managed to win only 49 while the Congress won 31 wards in the elections.
(With inputs from PTI)
