The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday ramped up its pressure on chief minister Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi to deliver on its pre-poll promise of providing ₹2,500 financial aid to women.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party staged a protest outside Mandi House metro station demanding clarity from the BJP government and warned that only four days are left before the March 8 deadline.
Leading the demonstration, former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Atishi, along with several Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and party workers, questioned the delay in implementing the scheme.
"Four more days are left. The women of Delhi are waiting — when will ₹2,500 come? Modi had guaranteed that on March 8, the first instalment would be credited to the accounts of all women in Delhi. Will this guarantee be fulfilled or will it once again prove to be just a slogan?" she wrote on X in Hindi.
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{{/usCountry}}Also Read | ‘Drama, excuse’: CM Rekha Gupta addresses Delhi assembly, links AAP protest to CAG reports
{{/usCountry}}AAP MLA from Kondli, Kuldeep Kumar, also took a dig at the BJP, asking Delhi’s newly appointed chief minister Rekha Gupta to clarify the status of the promised financial assistance.
"PM Modi had said that on the occasion of the International Women's Day on March 8, ₹2,500 would be sent to the accounts of women. Now, CM Rekha Gupta should tell whether this guarantee is going to turn out to be a 'jumla' like the promise of ₹15 lakh," he posted on X.
Notably, the ₹2,500 monthly aid was BJP's key promise during the Delhi assembly elections. It surpassed AAP’s offer of ₹2,100.
BJP responds
Responding to the continued criticism by the AAP, chief minister Rekha Gupta had earlier on Monday said that the BJP would definitely fulfil its promise.
"AAP should not question us as to when we will provide ₹2,500 to women. They left the Delhi government's accounts in shackles. While we will fulfil our promise, the AAP surely doesn’t deserve to question us on this," she said in the Delhi assembly.
Registration for ₹2,500 aid scheme opens on March 8
The registration process for providing ₹2,500 per month to women from economically weaker sections by the BJP government in Delhi will begin on March 8, party MP Manoj Tiwari said on Sunday.
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A list of beneficiaries will be prepared. The entire process of providing ₹2,500 to every financially poor woman will be completed in one and a half months, he said, appealing to women to register for the scheme.