'Exchequer empty': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta slams AAP; Atishi reacts

The BJP returned to power in Delhi after a long gap of 27 years by winning 48 out of the 70 seats in the recent elections

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has accused the AAP of leaving an empty “public exchequer” when it was in power in the national capital before the BJP took over.

The Chief Minister’s remark came while she was addressing a press conference with Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva.

“The condition which the (previous) government has left for us, when we sat with officers to review the financial status of the current government, we found that the government exchequer empty,” Rekha Gupta said.

Meanwhile, Sachdeva said the BJP government’s only agenda was ensuring a developed Delhi and solving the problems of the people.

The BJP returned to power in Delhi after 26 years, ending the AAP government’s decade-long rule. It ousted AAP from power winning 48 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, in the polls held earlier this month.

The AAP, however, claimed that Delhi’s budget grew from Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 77,000 crore in the 10 years of Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership.

“We have handed over a fiscally strong and growing government to the BJP,” said former CM and AAP leader Atishi. The BJP must focus on delivering their promises instead of making “excuses”, she said.

On Saturday, AAP leader  Atishi wrote to Gupta, seeking a meeting with her to discuss the issue of providing Rs 2,500 monthly aid to women as promised by the BJP during the poll campaign.

In a letter, Atishi sought to know why the scheme was not approved by the BJP government in its first cabinet meeting despite the Prime Minister’s promise.

The first session of the Delhi Assembly will begin on Monday , and promises to be a stormy session with the tabling of the 14 pending Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports amid the reversal of power between the AAP and the BJP.

The proceedings of the House on the first day will start with the newly elected MLAs being sworn-in. Gupta will move the motion for senior BJP leader Vijender Gupta to be elected as the Speaker.

The BJP returned to power in Delhi after a long gap of 27 years by winning 48 out of the 70 seats in the recent elections. While the ruling AAP settled for 22 seats, the Congress could not open its account on a third consecutive occasion.