'Visionless, directionless, hollow': BJP, Cong slam AAP government budget

Opposition BJP and Congress slammed the Delhi government's budget presented in Assembly on Tuesday, alleging it lacks vision and makes hollow promises to the people of Delhi.

The budget 2021-22 is 'silent' on present and short-term planning for Delhi, but sells 'dreams and hollow promises' of Delhi of 2047, city BJP president Adesh Gupta said in a press conference.

The Delhi government presented a Rs 69,000-crore budget themed on 'patriotism' on Tuesday under which installation of 500 flag masts and programmes on the lives of freedom fighters are planned across the city, and announced free Covid-19 vaccination for all in its hospitals in the coming days.

Senior Congress leaders addressed a joint press conference where they termed the Kejriwal government's budget 'visionless and directionless'.

It lacks a financial package to bail out small scale, household industries, shopkeepers and traders affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they party leader said.

BJP MLAs, numbering eight in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, staged a walkout after the budget was presented by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, alleging 'corruption' in bus procurement by the government.

The Delhi BJP president charged that the AAP government used the budget not for development but electoral benefit.

Read more: Delhi government aims to convert its entire transport system to electric: Sisodia

Every year, the Kejriwal government claims to be presenting a historic budget, but it fails to utilize the budgetary allocations for education, health, pollution and transport, he alleged.

"This must be the first state budget in the country which shows dreams to people about 26 years later, but is silent on deteriorating pollution and public transport situation in Delhi.

"Sisodia has talked of making Delhi like Singapore by 2047 and holding Olympic Games in Delhi while a few days ago the government talked of making Delhi like London and make Yamuna river as clean as the River Thames," Gupta said.

BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the budget had nothing for the field of health, transport, pollution control and social welfare.

The Delhi Congress leaders said that 'Deshbhakti Budget' of the Aam Aadmi Party government was a 'visionless, directionless and hollow' budget.

They said it was a pointless exercise to sell a distant dream that Delhi’s quality of living will be like that in Singapore in 2047 instead of addressing the existing issues in the city.

"Reduction in the capital expenditure from 34 percent to 24 percent will impact infrastructure development like creation of new flyovers, schools, hospitals, roads and other such facilities in the city. The allocation of Rs 50 crore for Covid-19 vaccination in government hospitals is peanuts,” said a Delhi Congress statement.

Although the Kejriwal government presented a Rs-69000 crore budget, a Rs-4000 crore jump from last year’s Rs 65000 crore estimates, the ground reality was different, said Delhi Congress leaders.

An amount of Rs 6000 crore from last year’s budget remained unspent which was a clear indication of “purposeless governance”, they alleged, adding Delhi’s fiscal deficit was one of the “worst” in the country.