BJP legislators demand Delhi finance minister’s resignation over budget delay

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[google-translator]

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs in the Delhi legislative assembly have demanded the resignation of the city’s finance minister Kailash Gehlot saying that he has failed to present the city’s Budget 2023-24 as per schedule on Tuesday.

The Delhi BJP legislators alleged that the approval for the budget was delayed because the AAP government did not reply on time to the queries raised by LG on the budget proposals. (Video grab)
The Delhi BJP legislators alleged that the approval for the budget was delayed because the AAP government did not reply on time to the queries raised by LG on the budget proposals. (Video grab)

The opposition MLAs alleged that the approval for the budget was delayed because the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government did not reply on time to the queries raised by lieutenant governor (LG) on the budget proposals.

At a press conference by the BJP MLAs in the Delhi assembly on Tuesday, leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the LG has the right to question the Delhi government when it engages in wasteful expenditure, and does not implement central government sponsored welfare schemes.

“The Delhi government is trying to avoid giving answers to the genuine questions raised on the budget,” Bidhuri said.

“The Delhi government announced well in advance that the budget will be presented on March 21. If the approval of the MHA (Union ministry of home affairs) had not been received, why the government announced the date,” he added.

BJP MLA Vijender Gupta said that the finance minister shared the confidential details of the budget in the public which amounts to violation of privilege and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe should be ordered into it.

Bidhuri claimed that the AAP government has not done any public welfare work, and blames the Centre and the LG for everything that goes wrong.

In the assembly on Tuesday, Delhi finance minister Kailash Gahlot said the Budget 2023-24 presentation has been postponed and blamed the Centre for the delay, calling it “unconstitutional.” He said that an elected government has been stopped from presenting the budget for the first time in the country’s history.

The ruling AAP has accused Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar of conspiring to derail the budget process at the behest of the central government.

AAP chief spokesperson and Delhi cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the chief secretary had sat on the Centre’s letter with queries regarding the Delhi Budget 2023-24 proposals for three days from March 17 till March 20.

The budget requires approval from the President through the Union home ministry. HT has reached out to the LG’s office and the chief secretary for their reaction.

Officials aware of the development at the MHA denied the AAP government’s allegations and said the approval had been held up because of some queries raised by the lieutenant governor (LG).

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him not to stop the budget. “For the first time in the country’s 75-year history, the budget of a state has been stopped. Why are you angry with us Delhiites? Please don’t stop the Delhi budget. The people of Delhi are requesting you with folded hands to pass our budget,” Kejriwal wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister, an official said.

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