Delhi Budget put on hold over MHA queries; Arvind Kejriwal, Centre trade charges

Amid the tussle between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the presentation of the Delhi government's budget for 2023-24, scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the Centre has put on hold the presentation of the Delhi government's budget for 2023-24 in the Assembly on Tuesday, in signs of a fresh round of confrontation between the AAP dispensation and the Union government.

As the chief minister lashed out at the Centre, MHA said the ministry has sought clarification from the AAP government as its budget proposal had high allocation for advertisement and relatively low funding for infrastructure and other development initiatives. "The AAP government has so far not responded to our queries," news agency PTI quoted sources as saying.

AAP government sources denied the charges as lies. The total budget size was Rs 78,800 crore, out of which 22,000 crore was earmarked for expenditure on infrastructure and just Rs 550 crore on advertisements, they claimed.

The allocation for advertisement was the same as in last year's budget, they said.

Kejriwal, in a TV interview, charged that the Centre was resorting to "gundagardi" and that it was for the first time in the history of the country that a budget of a government was put on hold. A video clip of his speech was tweeted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

It has been learned that the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor had approved the Annual Financial Statement, 2023-2024, on March 9 and sent the file to the Chief Minister. The Delhi Government, thereafter, sought the approval of the President (as is mandated by Law), by sending a letter to the Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, sources in the MHA informed that Delhi's budget outlay on advertisement was higher than infrastructural development and social development. "We had sought a clarification on this issue from the Delhi government," they added.

However, the AAP government sources denied the charges saying the total budget size was Rs 78,800 crore, out of which Rs 22,000 crore was earmarked for expenditure on infrastructure and just Rs 550 crore on advertisements, they claimed.The allocation for advertisement was the same as in the last year's budget, they said.