The Aam Admi Party (AAP) government presents Delhi budget today⛦ after the Union Home Ministry approved it 🍨on Tuesday following a clarification from the AAP government, paving the way for its presentation in the Assembly.
Delhi CM Kejriwal yesterday said that the budget had been approved "without any ch🍌ange" and questioned the practice of sending it to the Centre for clearance.
The Delhi Budget was scheduled to be tabled in the assembly on Tuesday, but the AAP government could not do so꧒ after the MHA sought clarification on the alloca🌠tion of funds for infrastructure and advertisements.
CM Kejriwal on Manish Sisodia
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that Delhiites are "mis𒀰sing" Manish Sisodia on the day of budget presentation, and 🍃asserted that the work started by the former minister will be carried on at double the speed.
This time, ꦗthe budget will be presented by🔯 Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot, who was given charge of the finance department after resignation of deputy chief minister Sisodia.
Sisodia, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, had been presenting the AAP g𝕴overnment''s budget ever since the party came to power in Delhi.
&﷽quot;Today Delhi's budget will be prese🀅nted. Delhiites are missing Manish ji very much today. But the work started by him will not stop. The work done by him will be carried forward with double the speed," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
The Centre-AAP feud
The Union Home Ministry approved the Delhi Budget on Tuesday following a clarification from the 💜AAP go🧜vernment, paving the way for its presentation in the Assembly.
While the matteꦦr sparked a fresh row between the AAP government and the Centre, the BJP on Tuesday alleged that the Kejriwal dispensation sat on the clarifications sought by the Ministry of Home Affairs for three days and then blamed the Centre for gaining "cheap publicity".
But speaking in the Assembly, Kejr꧙iwal alleged that the Centre's✤ objection was a departure from tradition and an attack on the Constitution.
"The Delhi government wants to work and not fight. We are tired of fighting and it serves no one. We want to work together with the prim♏e minister, we do not want any tussle," the chief minister said.
He said the Centre had raised four queries.
"🔥;We replied to them without any other change in the budget. Now, they have given approval to it which proves that their ego was satisfied that the Delhi governmꦚent bowed down," Kejriwal said.
Taking a dig at the objection of the Centre and LG office that the budget 2023-24 had higher a provision for advertise♛ment and relatively lower for infrastructure, the AAP supremo said that "uneducated" people were posted from top to bottom.
"They said advertisement allocation was higher than that for infrastructure. Uneducated people have been sitting from top to bottom. Which is more - Rs 2🔯0,000 crore for infrastructure or Rs 500 crore for advertisement?" said the chief minister in the Assembl𒈔y.
He, however, expresඣsed satisfaction over the MHA's approval to the budget, saying "better late than never" and asked what was the need t𝓡o create an issue over it.
Kejriwal also asserted that the Lt Governor has no power "to raise any objections, make observations or write anything on a file", as he was bo🥀und by the aid and🉐 advice of the Cabinet of the elected government.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal appealed t�📖�o the prime minister through a letter.
"This is the first in the last 75 years that a state's budget has been stalled. Why are you upset with Delhiites? Please don't stall Delhi's budget. With folded hands, Delhiites urge you to pas🍃s their budget," the AAP national convener wrote in his letter.
The party said March 21 was a "black day" as an elected government was "🤪prevented" from presenting the budget.
During the day, sources in the LG office accused Kejriwal, his ministers and the Aam Admi Party of "deliberately making false statements with the sole purpose of misleading the people of Delhi and the media and distracting them from the failures of the AAP government&q๊uot;.
"He has been saying that the Centre has blocked a State's Budget. This is patently false. Delhi is a Union Territory and not a State and therefore it is fully a 🦩part and parcel of the Government of India. Moreover, the Budget has not been blocked," said a source in the LG office.
On its part, the BJP accused the chief minister of creating a row over the city government's budget for "cheap pub👍licity" and to hide his own mistakes.
Addressing a press conference here, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the AAP leader was levelling allegations on the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to divert attention from the corruption charges faced𝓀 by the city government.
"꧟The Kejriwal government sat on the clarifications 𓂃sought by the Ministry of Home Affairs for three days and then blamed the Centre for stopping the budget," Sachdeva said.
Addressing the House hours after the MHA's nod, Kejriwal said the practice of sending the Delhi government's budget to the Centre for approvaꦛl is against the basic structure of the Constitution and democracy.
The chief minister said the provision will not stand judicial scrutiny for &quo💃t;even two minutes", adding that the Centre's objection was a departure from tradition. "It happened for the first time."
"It is an attack on the Constitution. Even B R Ambedkar would not have thought of a situation whe🍰re the central government would stop the presentation of a state government's 🍃budget," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said Delhi would have seen 10 times more p🌊rogress had there been no tussles between the Centre and the city government.
Kejriwal said if the♌ prime minister wishes to win 🅰Delhi, he will have to win the hearts of the people of the city first. "This is my mantra to him."
"You are theꦑ elder brother and I am the younger brother. I will reciprocate if you support me. If you want to win the heart of the little brother, love him," he said.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel suspended BJP legislator Vijender ⭕Gupta on Tuesday for a year till the next Budget session for allegedly obstructing the proceedings of the House.
Earlier in the day, Gupta had given a notice for breach of privileg💖es over the alleged leaking ཧof Budget details.
To this, the Speaker saiꦺd, "As per rules, such notice needs to be given three hours before. You are also saying that it should be taken up for discussion. It seems the aim is to create a ruckus and waste the time of the House."
In a statement, Gupta said that "this misuse of power by the ruling party has been unprecedented and totally un🧸justified".
Gupta labelled it as aꦺ "prime illustration of the spiteful politics of Chief Min🐓ister Arvind Kejriwal, who disregards democratic values".
(With PTI Inputs)
