Delhi Budget to be presented on Wednesday

The Delhi Budget is set to be presented by the AAP government on Wednesday after the Union Home Ministry approves the document. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Budget will be presented without any change. CM Kejriwal appeared miffed at the practice of having to send the Delhi Budget to the Centre for clearance. He said that the Centre stalled the clearance of the Delhi Budget to satisfy its ego.

The Delhi Budget was scheduled to be presented on Tuesday but was delayed because of the MHA's clarification on allocation of funds for infrastructure and advertisements. The Centre said that it had sat on the clarifications for three days and blamed the government for cheap publicity. Kejriwal said that the Delhi government wants to work and not fight and that it is tired of fighting. It serves no one. He said we want to work together with the prime minister, we do not want any tussle.

The Centre raised four questions, according to the CM. He said that they replied to these questions without any change in the Budget, which was approved by the Centre. Kejriwal said that their ego was satisfied.

Kejriwal said that advertisement allocation was higher than that for infrastructure, taking a dig at the Centre and LG office's objection that the budget for infrastructure was less than the budget for advertisement. The un educated people have been sitting from top to bottom. Which is better: Rs 20,000 crore for infrastructure or Rs 500 crore for advertisement? He said better late than never, and expressed satisfaction over MHA s approval of the Delhi Budget.

He said that the Centre had blocked a State's budget. This is patently false. Delhi is a Union Territory and not a state, and therefore it is a part and parcel of the Government of India. The budget has not been blocked, according to a source in LG's office.