AAP – BJP Row in Delhi: CM Threatens Action against Two Government officers

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Dec 25: In yet another case of AAP – BJP row over the schemes of the Delhi government, the chief minister Atishi on Wednesday promised to take strict administrative action against two government officers who released public notices through advertisements in newspapers and other media cautioning people against two schemes started by her and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and announced by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The officers in question are a joint director of the Department of Woman and Child Development and the special secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department.

The Delhi government’s Women and Child Development and Health departments issued public notices on Wednesday distancing themselves from the ruling AAP’s promised schemes of providing ₹2,100 to women and free treatment for the elderly above the age of 60.

The schemes announced by the AAP government ahead of the state Assembly elections due in February, has triggered a fresh row between the ruling party in the state and the ruling party at the centre which indirectly rule over Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor.

The two departments also cautioned the people against providing personal details to anyone on the pretext of registration for “non-existent” schemes, saying any private individual or political party collecting such physical forms or information was “fraudulent and without any authority.”

The development, which came days after AAP leaders launched the exercise of registering people for the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana which aims to give Rs 2,100 to non-tax paying women, and Sanjeevani Yojana, a scheme to provide free treatment to those over the age of 60 in government as well as private hospitals, with much fanfare, left the AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal furious.

Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, Ms Atishi said, “The notices issued today in newspapers are completely false. The BJP has put pressure on these officers and issued a false public notice because they are shocked by the public’s response. Strict administrative action will be taken against these officers.”

Flagging a copy of the notification of the Cabinet approval to Mahila Samman Yojana, Atishi said, “This is the notification issued by the Cabinet after it passed the Rs 1,000 allowance to women under Mahila Samman Yojana… The notification clearly says Rs 1,000. So, strict action and a Delhi Police inquiry will be taken against these officers for issuing such false public notice.”

Mr Kejriwal, who is leading the registration drive and was also present at the press conference, alleged that the BJP was rattled by the two schemes and claimed that Chief Minister Atishi could be arrested in a “fake” case in the coming days. “They are completely rattled with Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana. They have hatched a plan to come up with a fake case and arrest Chief Minister Atishi in the next few days,” he said on X. He also claimed that before CM Atishi’s arrest, raids would be conducted against senior AAP leaders.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj had on Tuesday claimed that she spoke to the Health Secretary of the Delhi government and was informed that there was no “Sanjeevani Yojana” in existence. Both the schemes were announced by Mr Kejriwal ahead of Assembly polls and AAP had started registrations for the schemes in campaign mode. Its leaders are confident that the measure would help woo voters as many believe that such schemes were a factor in the ruling parties retaining power in several State elections.

“It has been brought to the notice of the Department of Women and Child Development, through media reports and social media posts, that a political party is claiming to disburse ₹2100 per month under Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana to women in Delhi. It is clarified that no such scheme has been notified by the Government of Delhi,” said the public notice by the department.

“If and when the scheme begins, the department will launch a digital portal for eligible individuals to submit their applications online as per the approved guidelines,” it said. “Since no such scheme exists, the question of physical forms for registration under this non-existent scheme does not arise,” read the notice. “Any private individual/ political party collecting such physical forms/applications or collecting information from applicants under the name of the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana is fraudulent and without any authority,” it said.

The notice cautioned the people that providing personal details and sensitive information like PAN account numbers, phone numbers or Voter ID, in the name of the scheme may lead to crime including cyber and banking frauds. It advised people not to entertain the “misleading” promise of non-existent scheme and to exercise caution and asked them not to provide personal details to unauthorised persons.

The Mahila Samman Yojana was announced by the AAP government in the budget 2024-25 to provide ₹1000 per month to all eligible women aged above 18 in Delhi. Kejriwal recently promised to raise the amount to ₹2100 per woman if AAP returned to power.

The Health and Family Department public notice similarly cautioned the people about “Sanjeevani Yojana” announced by the AAP supremo for free treatment of senior citizens above 60 years at government and private hospitals.

“It has also come to the notice of the department that a registration drive to get enrolled under this scheme by filling up physical forms has also been started by some political functionaries and volunteers who are visiting door to door to collect information from elderly citizens and handing over to them some sort of “Health/Sanjeevani Scheme Card.”

The notice said details of senior citizens like phone numbers, addresses, Aadhar and bank accounts were being sought for the registration and many of the elderly people have started visiting government hospitals and government offices to enquire about the scheme. The notice said the Health and Family Welfare department did not have any supposed “Sanjeevani Scheme” in existence till date.

“Any private individual/political party collecting such physical forms/ applications or collecting information of applicants under the name of “Sanjeevani Yojana” is fraudulent and without any authority,” read the notice clarifying the department has not authorised any health officials to collect personal details of the elderly.

Mr Kejriwal said the BJP was scared due to the positive public response to AAP’s schemes and its door-to-door campaigns. He also mentioned that the BJP lacked a chief ministerial candidate, an agenda, or any accomplishments to present to the public ahead of the upcoming elections.

“We know how the BJP conspired to obstruct the work in Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, bureaucrats, and various schemes. However, we did not allow them to impede our efforts. As a result, they devised a plan and had all of us arrested. The BJP has nothing to showcase for their time in Delhi. Over the past ten years, they have had seven MPs but have failed to demonstrate any accomplishments. They lack a chief ministerial candidate and a clear agenda,” he said.

“The AAP is running a positive campaign. We’re sharing our achievements from the last ten years and asking for votes based on our work. In contrast, our opponents are resorting to insults. Recently, we announced a new scheme providing an allowance of Rs 2,100, following the cabinet’s earlier approval of a Rs 1,000 allowance. I stated that if we return to power, we will increase this amount to Rs 2,100. Additionally, we introduced the Sanjeevani Yojana, and people are eager to fill out forms. They seem pleased about this and genuinely want us to return to power. This is why the BJP is feeling threatened,” he added.

He alleged that the investigation agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would conduct raids against all senior AAP leaders, including CM Atishi, to distract them from election campaigning. “We learned from our sources that ED and CBI held meetings and are planning to falsely implicate Atishi in a case related to the transport department. The BJP is conspiring to disrupt the free commuting scheme for women,” he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that former BJP MP Parvesh Sharma was distributing cash to people ahead of the polls. Ms Atishi stated that the BJP can create any false cases, but the people of Delhi are observing everything and will respond in the upcoming elections.

The row concerning the two schemes once again highlighted the fragile relationship between the bureaucracy and the elected government of Delhi. After an amendment to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, the services department comes under the control of the Lieutenant Governor.