Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday that his government will pay ₹18,000 a month to Hindu and Sikh priests if elected back to power, escalating a raging political battle over the flurry of sops promised by his party ahead of assembly polls next year.
Kejriwal’s pledge of a hefty monthly honorarium – called the Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana – is the latest in a string of similar announcements made by the AAP, including a monthly allowance of ₹2,100 for women and free health care in all hospitals for senior citizens. The promises were criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as irresponsible and not implementable.
“Temple priests and gurdwara granthis make important contributions to society but no government or party has paid any attention to them,” Kejriwal said during a press conference at the AAP headquarters, adding that these priests kept culture alive. “I will register the beneficiaries at the Hanuman Mandir. Later, our party’s MLAs, candidates and workers will start registering pujaris and granthis in all temples and gurdwaras in Delhi.”
The state government pays ₹18,000 a month to imams, which was increased from ₹10,000 to ₹18,000 in 2019. Imams have been getting an allowance since 1970, the amount for which has increased over the years, with allegations that they payments have been irregular.
It is unclear how many potential beneficiaries the scheme might have, but estimates suggested that the number might run into thousands. Delhi has around 2,500 granthis, said an official with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). Separately, an official in the Delhi government’s Tirth Yatra Vikas Samiti said “a small temple has four or five priests and large temples have dozens.”
When asked how the Delhi government will arrange funds to pay the priests, Kejriwal brushed aside the concern. “I am a magician…I will not let there be any dearth of funds for this scheme,” he said.
The BJP called the announcement a political stunt and alleged that Kejriwal was trying to cheat priests with “bogus registration”.
“For the last 10 years, the AAP government has been paying salaries to the imams, and people asked him why he was not giving the allowances to priests. So, in order to avoid that question, Kejriwal remembered the priests and granthis just before the elections… Kejriwal has neither prepared the plan on paper nor has he told how much money will be spent,” said BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.
The announcement comes weeks ahead of scheduled assembly elections, when the AAP will seek a third consecutive full term. The BJP, which this summer swept all seven Lok Sabha seats in the Capital, and the Congress are its primary challengers. Bruised by corruption charges and the incarceration of top leaders over the last five years, the AAP is hoping to tide over anti-incumbency by dramatically expanding the welfare net and showering sops on Delhi’s 20 million residents.
On December 12,Kejriwal announced that the Delhi cabinet approved a scheme to provide monthly financial assistance of ₹1,000 to poor women in the national capital, adding that the payout was slated to be raised to ₹2,100 after the 2025 assembly elections. This came roughly three weeks after victories in the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections were attributed largely to the appeal of women-focussed cash transfer schemes.
Then on December 18, Kejriwal said the Sanjivani Yojana – which will cover free treatment at both government and private hospitals across the city with no upper limits on the costs – will be launched if the AAP comes back to power.
The scheme to help priests is likely aimed at making inroads into the two communities where faith leaders play an important role in determining social and political choices. There are roughly 29,000 temples and 500 gurdwaras registered in the Capital and in nearly 10 seats, Sikh voters hold sway.
But under Delhi’s complex power-sharing structure (owing to its unique status as a Union territory that is also the national capital), each of these schemes will require the approval of Saxena.
At the event in the AAP office, Kejriwal said registrations for the priest honorarium will begin at the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place on Tuesday. Kejriwal asked the BJP not to send police to stop registration of priests and granthis.
“I request the BJP not to stop the registration of pujaris and granthis under the scheme otherwise they will suffer. It will also anger God. Pujaris and granthis work as a bridge between us and the divine and deliver our prayers to God. If you send police to trouble pujaris and granthis, they will curse you,” he said.
Chief minister Atishi, who was sitting next to Kejriwal when he made the announcement, made a similar appeal.
“When the AAP forms the government in Delhi again, temple priests and gurdwara granthis who have been preserving and carrying forward our culture and civilisation for generations will be given an honorarium of ₹18,000 per month. Arvind Kejriwal ji’s decision is not only a tribute to the service of the priests and granthis but also a resolve to preserve our heritage,” she said on X.
The former CM did not specify clear guidelines for the registration but said the total number of people registered will be made public once the process is completed.
The announcement underlined the quickly expanding role that welfare and freebies are set to play in the upcoming elections.
Kejriwal even took a swipe at the BJP over the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana. After the AAP launched a registration drive for the women-focussed scheme, the women and child development department on December 25 issued a notice telling voters that the scheme was non-existent and yet to be notified.
On Saturday, Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora ordered police to maintain a strict vigil on any activities of “political canvassing,” while mentioning the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.
On Monday, Kejriwal hit back. “The BJP lodged a fake case and sent police to stop registration under the Mahila Samman Yojana but could not stop it. The registration continues,” said Kejriwal.
Later a group of priests and granthis separately met Kejriwal at his residence. In a post on X, the AAP shared video and pictures of the meeting, saying the priests gave Kejriwal their blessings.
In a separate post on X, AAP said: “Today the Granthis met the National Convenor of AAP Arvind Kejriwal ji and appreciated the historic decision of ‘Pujari-Granthi Samman Yojana’ and gave him their blessings. As soon as the Aam Aadmi Party government is formed, all the priests and granthis of Delhi will be given an honorarium of ₹18,000 every month.”
The BJP called the announcement irresponsible.
“Arvind Kejriwal is now a defeated and desperate leader who is making daily populist announcements to stay in power. They (Delhi government) have to reply in court, why they didn’t pay for priests and granthis like maulavis – to get rid of that, they have announced this scheme… When you (AAP) see that you are losing ground, you remember Ram,” said state BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva.