New Delhi:
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi today wrote a letter to newly sworn-in Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, questioning the BJP government’s failure to pass a promised financial assistance scheme for women in its first cabinet meeting on Thursday.
In her letter, Atishi sought time to meet Ms Gupta along with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Legislature Party on Sunday to discuss the implementation of the scheme that would provide Rs 2,500 per month to women in Delhi.
“First of all, heartiest congratulations to you on assuming the charge of the post of Chief Minister of Delhi,” Atishi’s letter reads. “Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi ji, had promised the mothers and sisters of Delhi in a rally organized on January 31, 2025, during the election campaign that after the formation of the BJP government, a scheme of Rs 2,500 per month would be passed for them in the very first cabinet meeting. He said – this is Modi’s guarantee.”
She further said that the BJP-led Delhi government held its first cabinet meeting on February 20, but the scheme was not passed. “The mothers and sisters of Delhi had believed in Modi ji’s guarantee, and now they feel cheated,” she added.
Atishi urged the Chief Minister to meet with the AAP delegation on Sunday to address their concerns and take concrete action on the scheme.
Atishi, who won from the Kalkaji assembly constituency by beating the BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in the Delhi elections, criticised the ruling party for failing to deliver on its electoral promises at a press conference yesterday as well. She said that before the Delhi elections, both Prime Minister Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda had assured that the scheme would be approved in the first cabinet meeting and that every eligible woman would receive Rs 2,500 in her bank account by March 8.
Displaying campaign posters featuring PM Modi and Ms Gupta, Atishi challenged the BJP to clarify when the promised financial assistance would be deposited. “Was this just another election gimmick?” she asked.
The issue of financial support for women was central to the Delhi election campaign, with both AAP and BJP making competing promises. Following the election results, in which the BJP ended AAP’s reign in the capital, AAP has maintained pressure on the new administration to fulfil its commitments.
A day after AAP was ousted from power in Delhi on February 8, party leader and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal met with the 22 newly elected AAP MLAs at his residence. Following the meeting, Atishi reiterated that AAP would ensure that the BJP delivers on its promise to provide Rs 2,500 per month to women by March 8, maintain 300 units of free electricity, and continue other public welfare programs.
Atishi also dismissed the BJP’s plan to table 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the next assembly session, calling it a routine matter. The BJP has stated that these reports will highlight the performance of the previous AAP government and will be tabled in the assembly session starting Monday.
Ms Gupta was sworn in as Delhi’s Chief Minister on February 20, along with six other MLAs inducted into her cabinet.
In its first cabinet meeting on the same day, the newly-formed Delhi government approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, discussed the Mahila Samridhi Yojana, and decided to table 14 pending CAG reports in the first session of the eighth Assembly.
The BJP secured victory in the February 5 elections, winning 48 of the 70 assembly seats, while AAP managed to secure 22 and the Congress scored a duck.
