Delhi CM Atishi says strict action will be taken against officers disowning govt schemes

Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, Atishi said, “The notices issued today in newspapers are completely false. The BJP has put pressure on these officers and issued a false public notice because they are shocked by the public’s response. Strict administrative action will be taken against these officers.”

Flagging a copy of the notification of the Cabinet approval to Mahila Samman Yojana, Atishi said, “This is the notification issued by the Cabinet after it passed the Rs 1,000 allowance to women under Mahila Samman Yojana… The notification clearly says Rs 1,000. So, strict action and a Delhi Police inquiry will be taken against these officers for issuing such false public notice.”

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, also present in the press conference, said the BJP is fearful due to the positive public response to AAP’s schemes and its door-to-door campaigns. He also mentioned that the BJP lacks a chief ministerial candidate, an agenda, or any accomplishments to present to the public ahead of the upcoming elections.

“We know how the BJP conspired to obstruct the work in Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, bureaucrats, and various schemes. However, we did not allow them to impede our efforts. As a result, they devised a plan and had all of us arrested. The BJP has nothing to showcase for their time in Delhi. Over the past ten years, they have had seven MPs but have failed to demonstrate any accomplishments. They lack a chief ministerial candidate and a clear agenda,” he said.

“The AAP is running a positive campaign. We’re sharing our achievements from the last ten years and asking for votes based on our work. In contrast, our opponents are resorting to insults. Recently, we announced a new scheme providing an allowance of Rs 2,100, following the cabinet’s earlier approval of a Rs 1,000 allowance. I stated that if we return to power, we will increase this amount to Rs 2,100. Additionally, we introduced the Sanjeevani Yojana, and people are eager to fill out forms. They seem pleased about this and genuinely want us to return to power. This is why the BJP is feeling threatened,” he added.

He alleged that the investigation agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would conduct raids against all senior AAP leaders, including CM Atishi, to distract them from election campaigning.

“We learned from our sources that ED and CBI held meetings and are planning to falsely implicate Atishi in a case related to the transport department. The BJP is conspiring to disrupt the free commuting scheme for women,” he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that former BJP MP Parvesh Sharma was distributing cash to people ahead of the polls.

Atishi stated that the BJP can create any false cases, but the people of Delhi are observing everything and will respond in the upcoming elections.

What public notices on Delhi govt schemes said

The row concerning the two schemes began when two departments of the Delhi government issued public notices in both Hindi and English newspapers. This situation once again highlighted the fragile relationship between the bureaucracy and the elected government of Delhi. After an amendment to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, the services department comes under the control of the Lieutenant Governor.

The public notice issued by a joint director in the Department of Women and Child Development in newspapers on the promised Rs 2,100 under Mahila Samman Yojana said, “… a political party is claiming to disburse Rs 2,100 per month under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojna… no such scheme has been notified in Delhi… If and when such a scheme is notified, the Department of Women and Child Development will launch a digital portal for eligible individuals to submit applications… Any private individual/political party collecting such physical forms/applications or collecting information for applicants… is fraudulent and without authority.”

“The general public are hereby advised and requested not to entertain such promises of a non-existent scheme, as these are misleading and without any authority…,” it added.

The second public notice, by the special secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, also calls the promises fraudulent, adding that people have started visiting government hospitals and offices to inquire about the scheme.