How BJP ‘triple engine’ is pushing for Delhi ‘badlav’: Yamuna revival to road, infra upgrade

The next step as part of this strategy, sources said, could be taken next week when a meeting of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the city’s seven Lok Sabha MPs, all from the BJP, with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari is likely to take place to discuss the expansion of highway infrastructure around the national capital.

This meeting of the Delhi BJP brass, party insiders said, will likely be followed by similar meetings with other Union ministries including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Jal Shakti Ministry.

“The BJP leadership has clearly instructed that change needs to be visible especially when it comes to the issue of traffic congestion, improvement of road and drainage infrastructure, and the condition of the Yamuna river… More meetings are expected between various Union ministers and the city government. All of them will be related to the transformation of the capital into Viksit Delhi (developed Delhi) with strict timelines,” the party leader said.

On Friday, Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended an event in the capital that saw the roll-out of 400 electric buses for the public fleet in the city under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) programme. He said a “green Delhi free of pollution” is a “collective dream”.

“From education to environment, from sanitation to transport, the triple engine BJP government is working in tandem to transform Delhi. As the Education Minister, I commit that top educational institutions of the country will work with the Delhi government, bringing their knowledge and expertise to find solutions to the challenges of Delhi and chart a path ahead for making Delhi we all will be even more proud of,” Pradhan said.

A day earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a plan for the redevelopment of the Yamuna. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “has taken steps to preserve the purity and sanctity of Yamuna water”.

He added that “the purification of Yamuna is of utmost importance not only for the people of Delhi and its neighbouring states but also for all Indians who worship Shri Krishna and Yamuna ji”.

Last month, CM Gupta interacted with industry experts and Public Sector Undertakings at a session hosted by Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. A few days before that, BJP South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri had spoken to Gadkari over road infrastructure-related projects.

What this push means

The BJP leadership would like its development push to be visible in all Delhi departments and across the city administration by the time the Rekha Gupta government marks 100 days by the end of May, sources said.

With the recent unopposed election of its Mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the BJP is now in power at all three levels of governance: municipal, which includes the MCD and New Delhi Municipal Corporation, the Delhi government, and the Centre.

The BJP-led Delhi government announced a total Budget of Rs 1 lakh crore for 2025-26, up from the previous Aam Aadmi Party(AAP)-led government’s Rs. 76,000 crore Budget for 2024-25.

Funds from the Centre meant for various developmental works in the capital, under various categories, have recorded an over 161% increase in this year’s budget. They have gone from more than Rs 4,300 crore to over Rs 11,400 crore.

“The BJP is committed to the all-round development of the capital,” Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said.

Politically, this sends out a message of “smooth governance at all levels”, sources said. During the tenure of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government, several Delhi projects had been under dispute because of the long-running tussle between the Delhi government and the Centre. This was evident in multiple run-ins that the Kejriwal dispensation had with the Lieutenant Governor over various issues.