CM lauds PM for BJP’s 11 yrs, lists 100-day log

Targeting the AAP government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, Gupta said it had officially recorded only 97 deaths even as crematoriums overflowed.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday credited the Narendra Modi-led Union government for a series of welfare and infrastructure gains in Delhi, while accusing the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration of leaving the city to “suffer” over the last 11 years.

CM Rekha Gupta with the cabinet on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

Flanked by Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Virendra Sachdeva, Gupta listed projects and welfare schemes implemented with central support, and claimed the city was now seeing results of “real governance” after years of neglect. Earlier in the day, Gupta met Prime Minister Modi and briefed him on the work done by her government in the first 100 days.

Targeting the AAP government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, Gupta said it had officially recorded only 97 deaths even as crematoriums overflowed. “It is regrettable that the Delhi government failed to even count the dead. It was the Modi government that extended a helping hand,” she said. Gupta added that while the state has its own health infrastructure, the Centre’s facilities, such as AIIMS, which handles nearly 5 lakh OPD visits annually, continue to reduce the burden on city hospitals.

The CM said her government had permanently appointed 1,500 nurses to plug staff shortages and had seen over 1,000 people benefit under the Ayushman Bharat scheme so far. She also announced that 1,100 new health centres were being built, of which 34 are nearing completion and set to be inaugurated on June 14.

Gupta claimed the Centre had invested ₹1.25 lakh crore in infrastructure projects in the Capital. The first phase of road development projects worth ₹35,000 crore has been completed, she said, while phase two worth ₹64,000 crore is close to wrapping up. Work on phase three—covering projects worth ₹24,000 crore—is set to begin shortly. “This expanding road network, along with the metro, is fast becoming Delhi’s lifeline,” she said.

On the welfare front, Gupta said nearly 300,000 pregnant women in Delhi had received ₹5,000 monthly assistance under the Prime Minister Matru Vandana Yojana, while 250,000 women were given free gas cylinders under the Ujjwala Yojana. Loans worth ₹20,000 crore had been disbursed under the Mudra scheme, and free ration was being provided to 7.5 million residents under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Gupta also cited the regularisation of 1,731 colonies and a ₹960 crore plan under the Delhi Gramodaya Yojana for rural development. She added that 12,000 farmers in the Capital had received annual honorariums of ₹6,000, and 200,000 street vendors had been given loans amounting to ₹300 crore.

Cleaning the Yamuna and fixing the water-sewer system were among her government’s immediate priorities and ₹9,000 crore had been allocated for these efforts, she said, adding that new sewer and water pipelines were being laid alongside decentralised systems. “We are reviving 38 sewage treatment plants, of which 16 are already functional. A visible difference in water quality will soon follow,” Gupta said.

Sachdeva said the Centre had taken historic decisions such as scrapping Article 370, banning triple talaq, enacting the Wakf law, and hosting the G20 summit in India. He also credited the government for passing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to aid persecuted Hindus in neighbouring Islamic countries, and for introducing 33% reservation for women in Parliament.

Drawing a contrast with the previous AAP administration, Sachdeva accused former CM Arvind Kejriwal of obstructing central schemes and resorting to “negative politics.” “While Kejriwal abandoned the city during COVID, the Modi government delivered. From Central Vista and Bharat Mandapam to FAME electric buses, expressways, and the War Memorial—Delhi’s transformation is being steered by the Centre,” he said.

Sachdeva said the BJP government in Delhi had completed 100 days of “effective governance” and would now ensure that all central schemes reach the city’s residents without obstruction.