The five-day budget session of the Delhi Assembly began on Monday with a new ritual: a kheer ceremony. BJP officials explained that “sweetness symbolises progress.” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the first budget of a BJP government in Delhi in over 27 years on Tuesday. “The kheer ceremony is a ritual of auspiciousness rooted in Indian tradition,” Gupta stated. “Today, by offering kheer to Lord Ram, we ensure that the state budget results in Delhi’s growth to be as sweet as kheer. The budget will reflect our government’s people-centered and development-oriented vision.”
The CM described the presentation of the so-called Viksit Delhi Budget as historic, likening it to Lord Ram’s return to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile. “Our government is also returning after 27 years, and this budget will serve as the medium to script a new chapter in Delhi’s development.” The new government aims to transform Delhi into a capital city with first-rate infrastructure, improved education, strong healthcare, job opportunities, and a sustainable environment. The Delhi government intends to prioritize women’s economic empowerment, reliable utility services, monsoon drainage solutions, pollution reduction, Yamuna River cleaning, enhanced education, healthcare, infrastructure development, and job creation in the fiscal year 2025–26.
AAP MLAs walked out on the first day of the budget session on Monday, protesting Speaker Vijender Gupta’s decision to exclude an AAP legislator’s name during a discussion under Rule 280. The rule allows MLAs to raise issues concerning their constituencies. When the Speaker bypassed an AAP legislator, the party’s other MLAs, led by opposition leader Atishi, protested and walked out of the House.
Later, AAP criticized the new government for failing to keep its electoral promises. Atishi stated, “It was not the AAP, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who set March 8 as the date for depositing Rs 2,500 into the accounts of every woman in Delhi. The date has passed, but not a single rupee has been transferred.” She added, “The AAP will raise this issue in the assembly. Delhi’s women don’t want empty promises. They want the Rs 2,500 that was promised to them.”
MLA Sanjeev Jha also criticized the BJP for breaking its promise. “The Prime Minister himself assured that the BJP government’s first cabinet meeting would approve the Rs 2,500 scheme and that every woman would receive the amount by March 8,” he stated. “But on March 8, the government simply formed a committee. How often has the committee met? What decisions has it taken? When will the promised money be released?”
