Delhi’s BJP vows: ₹2500 for women, cheaper LPG
BJP's Delhi manifesto promises ₹2,500 monthly aid for women, ₹21,000 for pregnant women, and pensions for seniors, aiming to empower women and counter AAP's claims.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday unveiled a bouquet of welfare promises as part of its manifesto for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, pledging ₹2,500 a month to poor women, ₹21,000 one-time aid to pregnant women, LPG cylinders for the poor at ₹500, and ₹2,500 pension for senior citizens.

BJP chief JP Nadda revealed the first of the three-part BJP manifesto focussed on women and welfare promises, and said it will serve as the foundation of a “developed Delhi”.
“The BJP’s resolution for a developed Delhi prioritises the empowerment of women and the welfare of senior citizens,” he said. “The BJP does what it says, while the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are known for their lies and betraying the public.”
Nadda underlined that all public welfare schemes in Delhi will continue if the BJP formed the government, attempting to counter the AAP’s allegation that the BJP will scrap all existing schemes if it wins the February 5 elections. “We will make the schemes free of corruption and strengthen them,” said Nadda, urging the people to vote for the BJP.
The AAP hit back, with former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal saying that the BJP’s manifesto or sankalp patra was a Kejriwal-patra because it copied the schemes of Delhi’s ruling party.
“The BJP is saying vote for us, we will copy what Kejriwal does…the BJP has publicly acknowledged the impact of Kejriwal’s welfare schemes and even families of BJP workers take benefit from it. People are saying only Kejriwal can do what he does, there is no point electing BJP,” the AAP chief said.
The BJP is hoping to gain power after 27 years in Delhi and stop the AAP from securing a third consecutive full term. The Congress is the third player in a triangular fight, whose results will be announced on February 8.
The BJP is releasing its manifesto in three parts. BJP leaders said that the party is likely to make more welfare promises in the next iterations of the manifesto.An unnamed BJP functionary said it has been planned such to ensure that the party’s message reaches a wide audience.
Nadda announced several pro-women measures including ₹2,500 monthly aid under the ‘Mahila Samridhi Yojana’, surpassing the AAP’s poll promise of ₹2,100, and a financial assistance of ₹21,000 and six nutrition kits for every pregnant woman under the Chief Minister Matritva Suraksha Yojana.The party also promised LPG cylinders at ₹500 for the poor section, with one free cylinder on Holi and Diwali.
“We will increase the senior citizen pension for people aged between 60 and 70 from ₹2,000 to ₹2,500; and for senior citizens, widows, divyangs and destitute aged 70-plus from ₹2,500 to ₹3,000,” the BJP chief said.
Nadda said the Mahila Samridhi Yojana will be approved at the first cabinet meeting if the BJP comes to power. The manifesto also promised free OPD and diagnostic services to the elderly in addition to free treatment up to ₹10 lakh, and meals at ₹5 in slum clusters. “The Ayushman Bharat scheme will be implemented in Delhi in the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government,” he said. Delhi is one of two states where the central health care scheme is not implemented. A Delhi high court asking the state government to implement it was stayed by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
“In 2014, the BJP made 500 promises, of which 499, or 99.99%, have been fulfilled. In 2019, the BJP made 235 promises, and we demonstrated by fulfilling 225 of them, or 95.50%. We have reached the stage of implementation for many of these promises,” Nadda said, adding that the BJP has already implemented monthly allowances for women in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
“All the schemes of the BJP have focused on women’s empowerment, which is a priority for PM Narendra Modi,” he said.
Nadda attacked Kejriwal for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi and called the AAP’s mohalla clinics hubs of corruption.
“The Ayushman Arogya Mandir has been praised across the country, but the ‘AAPda’ government has not implemented the Ayushman scheme…There has been a scam of around ₹300 crore in the mohalla clinics of the Aam Aadmi Party, and the BJP government will investigate these scams once it comes to power in Delhi. There has also been a supply of medicines worth ₹100 crore to close associates of the Delhi chief minister, which should also be investigated,” said Nadda. He was reiterating a barb first made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two weeks ago, when he called the AAP a disaster (AAPda). The AAP has repeatedly said Delhi’s existing health schemes were better than Ayushman Bharat.
The BJP chief also referred to the Union Cabinet’s decision on Thursday announcing the 8th Pay Commission. “PM Narendra Modi yesterday approved the 8th Pay Commission for employees, which is expected to be implemented by 2026...This will provide our working-class people with better salaries and benefits,” said Nadda.
BJP MP and manifesto committee chairman Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the manifesto guarantees will change the lives of Delhiites. “The people welfare manifesto will catapult the BJP to power in Delhi in the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. The BJP manifesto has left Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders shocked because the BJP manifesto is the last nail in the coffin of the AAP in Delhi,” said Bidhuri.
The BJP said its manifesto was prepared after 1880,000 suggestions and feedback by people from across the city and 12,000 public meetings .
Hours later, Kejriwal warned that the BJP will shut down all mohalla clinics in Delhi and said the BJP’s manifesto contained several freebies.
“Has Nadda obtained approval from PM Narendra Modi to distribute these revdis? Does the PM agree with this decision? The PM has repeatedly traveled across the country, stating in his speeches — at least 100 times — that revdis [freebies] are not beneficial. He has accused me, Arvind Kejriwal, of distributing revdis…Today, however, BJP president JP Nadda announced that they too will offer revdis…The PM should come forward and clearly state his approval of this manifesto…he should admit that his previous statements against revdis were incorrect. Now,” the AAP chief said.
The Congress said it was a copy-paste job. “They are copy pasting (our) schemes. It is funny how they are talking about giving food at ₹5 at a time of high inflation. You do not even get a bottle of water at that price,” former wrestler and Haryana Congress lawmaker Vinesh Phogat said.
