No, Delhi/AAP did not introduce Pilgrimage trip scheme for senior citizens first in the country.
Claim
“Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Scheme” was active only in Delhi till now in the entire country
Rating
Explanation
Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of Haryana, posted on his X handle that the state government will provide free railway travel to pilgrimage places like Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mathura, Amritsar, Patna Sahib for which they have created ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’ for people above 60 years of age. This post was quoted by the official handle of Aam Aadmi Party X handle claiming that this scheme was copied from them and that the scheme is available only in Delhi till now in the whole country. Arvind Kejriwal is also seen claiming the same quoting Manohar Lal’s X post.
“मुख्यमंत्री तीर्थ यात्रा योजना” पूरे देश में अभी तक केवल दिल्ली में चल रही थी। पहली बार दिल्ली में आम आदमी पार्टी की सरकार ने चलाई। इस योजना के तहत हम दिल्ली के 75,000 से ज़्यादा बुजुर्गों को तीर्थ यात्रा करवा चुके हैं। हमें ख़ुशी है कि बीजेपी हमारी सरकार से सीखकर काम करने की… https://t.co/JdgNqsx8h0
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 5, 2023
What is the truth?
When searching to know when the scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’ was introduced, we found an X post of Arvind Kejriwal dated July 2018 mentioning that the scheme got approved.
With further search we found an NDTV article dated 9, July 2018 reporting that Delhi residents above the age of 60 years are covered in the scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ and 1100 senior citizens from each of 70 assembly constituencies can undertake free pilgrimage every year.
The article further stated that the Delhi cabinet approved the scheme in January 2018 but was not implemented due to some issues raised by the LG’s office. The India Today article dated June 2023 reported that the scheme was launched on 12, July 2018 and that the 72nd trip under the scheme was about to begin.
When searching to know if any other similar schemes of pilgrimage trips were introduced earlier, we found Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s X post dated May 2014 mentioning that around 180000 people have made use of the ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Scheme’ till May 2014.
With further search, we found that the scheme was started on 3, September 2012 and is available till date. “Chief Minister Tirtha-Darshan Yojna, the State Government provides assistance to senior citizens of the state over 60 years of age in their lifetime to visit one of the scheduled places of pilgrimage outside the state”, mentioned the website of District Narmadapuram.
अरविंद जी, झूठ के अपने शीश महल से बाहर निकलिए और आँखें खोलकर देखिए!
जब 'आप' का अस्तित्व भी नहीं था, तबसे मध्यप्रदेश में भारतीय जनता पार्टी की सरकार बुजुर्गों को तीर्थ दर्शन करवा रही है।
भाजपा की हमारी सरकार ने 2012 में 'मुख्यमंत्री तीर्थ दर्शन योजना' प्रारंभ की थी और अब तो हम… https://t.co/dNl1YRLPZR
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) November 5, 2023
In addition, Shivraj Chouhan, CM of Madhya Pradesh quoted Arvind Kejriwal’s X post mentioning “Arvind ji, come out of your palace of lies and see with open eyes! Even when AAP did not exist, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh has been making the elderly people go on pilgrimage. Our BJP government had started ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana’ in 2012 and now we are even conducting tours by air.”
Conclusion
It is found that pilgrimage trip schemes for senior citizens were introduced even before it was introduced for Delhi residents in 2018 by the Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh introduced it in 2012 way before Delhi. This shows that the claim made by the Aam Aadmi Party and its head Arvind Kejriwal is completely false.
