Budget day in Delhi today as AAP-Centre tussle calms down

Following clarification from the AAP government, the Union Home Ministry approved the Delhi budget which will be presented by Delhi Finance Minister, Kailash Gehlot, in Delhi Assembly on Wednesday.

Delhi: Days after back and forth between the Centre and the AAP government, the Delhi budget will finally be presented on Wednesday. Delhi Finance Minister, Kailash Gehlot is slated to table the budget in the assembly. The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the budget allocations for the year 2023-24 Tuesday afternoon. According to reliable sources, the Delhi government prepared a Rs 78,800 crore budget for the financial year 2023-24.

Earlier, the budget was scheduled to be presented on Tuesday. However, the Centre had asked the Kejriwal government to resend the Budget after addressing some concerns flagged by the Lieutenant Governor. The Centre had asked for an explanation of the high allocation to advertisements. It also pointed out the relatively low funds assigned to infrastructure and other development initiatives.

The Delhi budget got approved hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to not stop the Budget exercise. After the Budget got approved Kejriwal batted for better centre-state cooperation by saying that Prime Minister Modi is like his 'elder brother' and he is ready to cooperate as a younger brother.

Continuing with his analogy, the Chief Minister asked that if the elder brother comes and scolds the younger brother every day, how long can it be tolerated? "If you want to win the younger brother's heart then love him," he said.

Kejriwal also added that the practice of sending the city government's budget to the Centre for approval was against the basic structure of the Constitution and democracy. Earlier in his letter to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal asked if he was "upset" with the people of Delhi. Kejriwal said it was “for the first time in the country's 75-year history that a state budget has been stopped”. “Why are you upset with the people of Delhi," Kejriwal wrote.

The Delhi government had on March 10 sent the budget for approval to the Centre, The Centre returned it on March 17 with some queries. The Delhi government replied to MHA's query but did not make any changes. Thereafter, the budget was approved. The AAP alleged that the intention behind this delay in the budget presentation was to make the Delhi government bow down.