Budget Battle: Accusations Fly in Delhi Assembly

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta slammed the former AAP government for prioritizing publicity over aid for COVID victims, accusing them of financial mismanagement. The BJP's budget was labeled a 'hollow projection' by opposition leader Atishi, igniting heated exchanges. Gupta defended her administration's 'historic' budget for self-reliance.

In a fiery session at the Delhi Assembly, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Thursday, accused the previous AAP government of lavish spending on publicity rather than providing financial aid to nearly 100 families affected by COVID. Gupta defended her administration's proposed Rs one lakh crore budget, contrasting it with alleged misuses by AAP.

Gupta highlighted the AAP's expenditure on non-priority events, citing Rs 3 crore on Diwali celebrations and Rs 11 crore on various publicity projects. She pledged to curtail such financial mismanagement to better utilize Delhi's resources, aiming to make the budget sustainable without central assistance.

Amidst the discussions, opposition leader Atishi criticized the budget for lacking an economic survey, suggesting unrealistic revenue targets. Meanwhile, BJP minister Ashish Sood emphasized restoring Delhi's identity, while AAP's Gopal Rai criticized the budget's absence of elected representatives' involvement and called for legislative dignity as debates continued.

(With inputs from agencies.)