Congress terms Delhi Budget ‘a bundle of lies’

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav on Tuesday criticised the BJP-led Delhi Government’s first Budget, calling it a “bundle of lies and betrayal”.

He accused Chief Minister Rekha Gupta of presenting a Budget that “lacked” vision for development and ignored the real needs of people. Yadav said during the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in 2013-14, capital expenditure was 34.3 per cent of the total Budget. In contrast, the current BJP government has allocated only 28 per cent, which he termed an “eyewash”. He further compared this to the AAP government’s capital expenditure of 19.85 per cent, blaming both parties for stalling Delhi’s growth.

“How will BJP develop Delhi with just 28 per cent capital expenditure, when 12 years ago, Sheila Dikshit had invested 34.3 per cent despite lower costs of infrastructure?” Yadav said.

The Congress leader also took aim at the BJP’s Mahila Samridhi Yojana, which promises Rs 2,500 per month to women. Yadav claimed that the Rs 5,100 crore allocated for the scheme was “like a drop in the ocean”. He said 44 lakh women had voted with the hope of receiving the benefit, but the budgeted amount would only cover a fraction of them.

“The BJP government is running away from its promises. Women were misled into believing they would get financial support, but the Budget exposes the reality,” he said.