NEW DELHI: Amid the 'Modi! Modi!' chants in the Assembly on Tuesday, Delhi's Chief Minister Rekha Gupta left no stone unturned to sneer at the previous government’s performance.
Presenting her maiden budget, Gupta took multiple jibes and slammed the AAP government for broken promises and relying more on advertisements and publicity than the groundwork.
Taking a caustic dig at the “AAP-da” model, Rekha Gupta said, “Delhi’s malik (owner) had promised to transform the city into London. He sold this idea to the people of Delhi, however, the city only turned chaotic with broken roads, traffic jams and incomplete projects.”
She added to her remark, lyrics from the song 'Vaada tera vaada.'
Calling it “advertisement government,” she said that the previous dispensation only put up posters and hoardings for publicity and didn’t pay attention to policy-making for public welfare.
“More money was spent on hoarding than on infrastructure. There were no schemes, but the advertisements were always there,” she added.
Taking up the issue of housing for the poor, Rekha Gupta yet again commented, “You made sheesh mahal, we’ll make a house for the poor. You made toilet pots and we’ll make toilets and bathrooms for the poor.”
She also hit out at the “AAP-da” government and blamed it for stalling the development of the city for its political motives and denying the people the advantages of many Central schemes, including Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
“The previous government spent less on development, saying that they did not have the funds. However, if they had not stalled implementation of Central schemes for their political motives, then there wouldn’t have been any deficiency of funds,” she said.
“Everyone knows that the Ayushman Bharat scheme was implemented in the entire nation; everyone got direct benefit from it. However, despite repeated calls made by the Centre to implement it in Delhi, it was not done. It was because the previous Chief Minister wanted his name to be added to the scheme. And the entire Delhi had to bear the consequences of this,” she added.
Highlighting the roll-out of Ayushman Bharat in Delhi, she said, “The day the government took charge, immediately after the oath, in the first cabinet meeting it was decided to implement Ayushman Bharat in the capital and this scheme will soon be implemented. People will get best health services in the form of schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Ayushman Arogya Mandir and Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Mission.”
“Our government did this, and it was also decided that along with the insurance of Rs 5 lakh given by the Centre under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the Delhi government will provide additional insurance of Rs 5 lakh,” she added.
