'Four more days are left': AAP protests over BJP's Rs 2,500 monthly aid to women
New Delhi: The AAP staged a protest here on Tuesday and demanded clarity from the BJP-led Delhi government on the promise to roll out Rs 2,500 monthly financial assistance to women by the International Women's Day on March 8. The demonstration outside the Mandi House metro station here was led by former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Atishi along with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs and party workers. Atishi in a post on X questioned the BJP government over the delay in implementing the scheme. "Four more days are left. The women of Delhi are waiting — when will Rs 2,500 come? Modi had guaranteed that on March 8, the first installment would be credited to the accounts of all women in Delhi. Will this guarantee be fulfilled or will it once again prove to be just a slogan?" she wrote on X in Hindi.
AAP MLA from Kondli, Kuldeep Kumar, also took a dig at the BJP, asking Delhi’s newly appointed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to clarify the status of the promised financial assistance. "PM Modi had said that on the occasion of the International Women's Day on March 8, Rs 2,500 would be sent to the accounts of women. Now, CM Rekha Gupta should tell whether this guarantee is going to turn out to be a 'jumla' like the promise of Rs 15 lakh," he posted on X. The BJP had made Rs 2,500 monthly assistance promise to women during the Delhi Assembly elections, surpassing the AAP’s offer of Rs 2,100. The BJP swept the polls, winning 48 out of 70 seats, reducing the AAP to 22, while the Congress failed to secure any seat. With March 8 approaching, the AAP has intensified its demand for a clear timeline on the scheme’s implementation. Responding to the continued criticism by the AAP, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier on Monday said that the BJP would definitely fulfil its promise. "AAP should not question us as to when we will provide Rs 2,500 to women. They left Delhi government's accounts in shackles. While we will definitely fulfil our promise, the AAP surely doesn’t deserve to question us on this," she said in the Delhi Assembly.
