People of Delhi request with folded hands…': Arvind Kejriwal's plea to PM Modi

The Delhi Budget 2023-24 was scheduled to be presented by finance minister Kailash Gehlot in the Assembly on Tuesday.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him not to stop the city government’s budget on Tuesday morning, hours after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said it has been put on hold by the central government.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. (File Photo)

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The Delhi Budget 2023-24 was scheduled to be presented by finance minister Kailash Gehlot in the Assembly on Tuesday. However, on Monday evening, Kejriwal said the central government had put the Delhi budget on hold.

“For the first time in the country’s 75-year history, the budget of a state has been stopped. Why are you angry with us Delhiites? Please don’t stop the Delhi budget. The people of Delhi are requesting you with folded hands to pass our budget,” Kejriwal wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister.

The budget requires approval from the President through the Union home ministry.

Officials aware of the development at the MHA denied Kejriwal’s allegations and said the approval had been held up because of some queries raised by the lieutenant governor (LG).

“The Kejriwal government has doubled the expenditure on publicity in two years despite spending half of it, on which the LG has asked for a justification. The LG also sought clarification on not giving the benefits of other central schemes like Ayushman Bharat to the poor people of Delhi, where all funds came from Central government since Delhi was a Union territory (UT),” an official said on condition of anonymity.

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“The budget was sent for MHA’s approval well in advance on 10th Mar. However, the file with MHA’s concerns was put up to me only at 6pm today (Monday). We have responded to MHA’s concerns and submitted the file back to Delhil’s LG, after CM’s approval, at 9pm today. It’s very clear that the concerns raised by MHA are irrelevant & seemingly done only to scuttle Delhi govt’s budget for next year. Sad day for Indian democracy,” Gehlot said in a tweet.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Kejriwal said, “Delhi is doing exceedingly well, despite all obstacles being created on daily basis. Imagine if such obstacles were not created and all govts worked together for the welfare of people. Then Delhi would grow multiple times faster.”