Aam Aadmi Party has graduated from providing ‘free’ oxygen check with oximeters to providing free logs for cremation. An image of a poster has gone viral on social media in which logs for cremation are put up in a tractor with a poster that Aam Aadmi Party has arranged for free logs for cremation for those who have lost their lives to COVID.
Hope this is photoshop-d.
— BioGas ConcentratoRatty (@YearOfRat) May 25, 2021
Because I can't imagine this trolley being driven through colonies.
And the man is smart, he is providing Lakdi Sewa in UP, not Delhi.
Ye rajneeti badalne aaye thhe. pic.twitter.com/kPBCTOq2op
The image is of a tractor which announces free logs for cremation in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur.
Netizens at first thought it must be fake because it really cannot be true that a political party will advertise cremation logs for the deceased. It also seemed strange since the advertisement was in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur where Aam Aadmi Party is not even having any presence. Ghazipur, however, is one of the places in UP which shares its border with the national capital. Lakhs of ‘farmers’ have been blocking borders are Ghazipur protesting against the new farm laws. Delhi government led by Aam Aadmi Party has provided all facilities for the ‘farmers’ to protest.
Spotting the viral image, we at OpIndia got curious. Here is what we found.
It is real
The above tractor carrying logs for cremation in Ghazipur is real. In fact, Aam Aadmi Party itself has shared the advertisement of cremation logs on its official account.
गहमर घाट ग़ाज़ीपुर में शवों की दुर्दशा की विचलित करने वाली तस्वीरें पूरे भारत ने देखी, शवों को चिता तक नसीब नहीं हुई।
— Aam Aadmi Party- Uttar Pradesh (@AAPUttarPradesh) May 22, 2021
आज AAP विधायक @dilipkpandey जी, प्रदेश सह-प्रभारी @aapabhinav एवं AAP गाज़ीपुर की टीम के प्रयास से अंतिम संस्कार हेतु निःशुल्क लकड़ी देने की सेवा की शुरुआत हुई। pic.twitter.com/072inIAltJ
The tractors carrying the logs for cremation were flagged off with much fanfare with AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s face printed on the flags.
AAP MLA Dilip Pandey led initiative
The above initiative is supported by Aam Aadmi Party leader and Timarpur MLA Dilip Pandey. Speaking to OpIndia, Om Prakash Singh of AAP said that the project was paid for by Dilip Pandey. It is not yet clear whether it is his personal project or it is funded by the Delhi taxpayers’ money or just party fund.
In fact, not just him, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has actually led the project.
माननीय सांसद श्री @SanjayAzadSln जी के मार्गदर्शन में बड़े भाई @dilipkpandey जी के सहयोग से निशुल्क लकड़ी सेवा जारी है।
— Abhinav Rai (@aapabhinav) May 23, 2021
गहमर, ग़ाज़ीपुर में प्रतिदिन लोगों को अंतिम संस्कार हेतु निशुल्क लकड़ी प्रदान की जा रही है।
हेल्पलाइन:- 9935931246 पर संपर्क करें!@ArvindKejriwal @msisodia pic.twitter.com/D6JTJdlc9r
Abhinav Rai, Aam Aadmi Party leader and former OSD to Delhi Government, took to Twitter to share the above advertisement for free logs on Sunday.
He also shared in another tweet that Sanjay Singh for emotional on seeing the dead bodies floating in the Ganga river and to give a dignified cremation to the Hindus, he has arranged for the logs for cremation.
गहमर घाट, गाजीपुर में गंगा में तैरती लावारिस शवों की जानकारी मिलते ही बड़े भाई @dilipkpandey जी ने कई ट्राली लकड़ियां मुहैया कराई।
— Abhinav Rai (@aapabhinav) May 22, 2021
माननीय सांसद श्री @SanjayAzadSln जी का धन्यवाद हैं कि हिंदू शवों का अंतिम संस्कार हिंदू रिती-रिवाज से करवाने की मुहिम में अपनी पूरी तनख्वाह लगा दी। pic.twitter.com/NmU7CgxY0O
He added that Singh has given his full salary to pay for the cremation logs. It is quite likely that the taxpayers’ money is used by Arvind Kejriwal to promote the party in a rather weird fashion in Uttar Pradesh ahead of 2022 assembly elections. Do note that it was Sanjay Singh himself who had launched the bizarre ‘free oxygen check’ last year in UP even as Delhi struggled with COVID cases.
There’s a ‘little’ problem
You see, the number on the poster advertising free logs for cremation is 9935391246. However, when OpIndia tried contacting the number, it reached a clueless woman who had no idea what we were talking about. However, when you see Rai’s tweet, you can see that the actual number for free logs for cremation is 9935931246. Confirming to OpIndia, AAP leader said that the number printed on poster was incorrect but has since been corrected. Two ‘very poor’ people have also been given free logs for cremation till now.