AAP govt emptied coffers, will plan for ₹2,500 aid: Delhi chief minister

In response, the AAP said that a ‘fiscally strong government’ was handed over to the BJP and they were only making excuses

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in a press conference on Sunday alleged that the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government has left an empty public exchequer for the newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Further, she assured the implementation of ₹2,500 monthly financial aid for women ‘with detailed planning’.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta listens to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "Mann Ki Baat" programme at Sanatan Dharm Mandir Park at Narayana Vihar in New Delhi on Sunday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

“The condition which the (AAP) government has left for us... when we sat with officers to review the financial status of the current government, we found that the government exchequer is empty,” she said responding to a question about the preparation to implement the scheme.

In response, the AAP said that a ‘fiscally strong government’ was handed over to the BJP and they were only making excuses.

CM Gupta on Sunday attended the legislature group meeting along with other BJP MLAs at the state party office ahead of the first session of the newly constituted assembly. She said ‘several phases of meetings have been held with the officers over the implementation of the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana’.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, also present in the press briefing, said that the BJP’s agenda is to make Delhi a developed capital. “BJP government has already given a major gift to the people of Delhi by implementing the Ayushman Scheme. AAP’s attempts to defame the BJP by spreading lies will be countered by the work of legislators. In today’s meeting, everyone resolved to work together to advance their constituencies and address the concerns of the people. Completing the pending development projects in Delhi is their shared responsibility,” Sachdeva said.

Further, CM Gupta said that on the first day, all the legislators will take their oaths, and elections for the Speaker will take place. “The three-day assembly session will focus on discussions about development projects, with no room for negativity. Assembly will present the CAG reports, and the previous governments must now answer the people of Delhi for the misuse of their hard-earned money,” she added.

Responding to the allegations, former Delhi CM and LoP Atishi said that Delhi’s budget grew from ₹30,000 crore to ₹77,000 crore in ten years, and with a fiscally strong government handed over to the BJP, excuses won’t cut it. “The people of Delhi expect delivery, not delays. But as expected, the BJP has already begun looking for ways to wriggle out of its grand guarantees and promises,” she added.

Atishi dismissed BJP’s allegations that the Delhi government’s treasury was empty. She said, “I had expected that from the moment the BJP government was formed, it would start making excuses to avoid fulfilling its so-called guarantees. When AAP took charge, Delhi’s debt-to-GDP ratio was over 6%. In ten years, we reduced it to 3%, probably the lowest in the country.”