Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has accused the BJP-led Centre, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, and parts of the city’s bureaucracy of colluding to create a financial crisis in the national capital by delaying its budget for the upcoming fiscal. In his speech following the conclusion of the Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session, Goel alleged that the delay was an attempt by the Centre to dilute the welfare agenda of the AAP Delhi government to project it as a failure of the latter.
The Speaker further claimed that the L-G had sought to create “hurdles in the smooth functioning” of the Delhi government without any substantial basis. The annual budget was scheduled to be tabled on March 21, but it was delayed after the Ministry of Home Affairs withheld its approval. The MHA’s approval was accorded only on March 21 following which the budget was tabled. According to the article, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has accused the BJP-led Centre, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, and sections of the city’s bureaucracy of colluding to trigger a financial crisis in the national capital by delaying its budget for the upcoming fiscal.
He alleged that L-G Saxena sought to create “hurdles in the smooth functioning” of the Delhi government to dilute the welfare agenda of the AAP Delhi government and project it as a failure. The Speaker accused the chief secretary, finance secretary, and other officers concerned of willingly suppressing relevant communications in collusion with the office of the L-G and the Government of India to create a financial crisis and portray it as a failure of the elected government. However, L-G House officials argued that Kejriwal had been informed of “concerns” raised by Saxena in time but chose not to act on them. The MHA’s approval was accorded only on March 21, following which the budget was tabled.
