Love India, its people irrespective of caste, religion: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday urged people to fill their hearts with love for the country and not to hate people from any religion or group. Addressing the city at the Chhatrasal Stadium here to mark the Republic Day, Kejriwal also said that those are truly patriotic also have the purest heart. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the Centre for creating hurdles in the functioning of the AAP government is like "betrayal to the country".

Kejriwal alleged that his government was stopped from building schools, hospitals and mohalla clinics in the city. The chief minister said before Independence, there were some people who used to help the British to weaken the fight of revolutionaries and today as well, there are still some such people who try to do the same to the country. "If I construct schools, hospitals, mohalla clincs for people, what wrong I do? I am stopped from building schools. I want to ask the entire country what can be more patriotic," he said without naming anyone.

On several occasions in the past, Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party have been accusing the BJP-led central government of creating hurdles in the works of Delhi government. "The need of the hour is to fill yourself with the love for the country but that doesn't mean attacking people of a particular group or hating them.

"Those who truly have patriotism also have the purest heart. They love each and everyone, they love people from all castes and religions. We should help each other as humans, and not care about religion or caste," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief said he desired to see India as the best nation in the world. "When the freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the nation, what was their dream? At times I wonder if the freedom fighters would have agreed to sacrifice their lives if they knew that the country will be destroyed like this after freedom," he said. He said that in 70 years the poor were deprived of education and even the middle class could not access proper and affordable health care. "Political parties have destroyed the country. Can we, after 70 years of freedom, say that the country has fulfilled the dreams of those who sacrificed their lives for the nation?" he added.