Saurabh Bhardwaj Calls Delhi Budget Misleading, Challenges BJP’s Claims

New Delhi: Former minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj has raised strong objections to the Delhi budget, accusing the BJP-led government of misleading the public. He claimed that the budget proves the government’s false claims regarding the financial condition of the state.

Bhardwaj alleged that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier blamed the previous AAP government for emptying the state treasury. However, he pointed out that the budget itself contradicts this claim, as it shows an opening balance of ₹2,965 crore. “This proves that the AAP government did not deplete the treasury; instead, we left behind ₹2,965 crore,” he stated. He further criticized the BJP government for presenting a ₹1 lakh crore budget without explaining where the funds would come from.

Several AAP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Atishi, also criticized the budget, calling it "baseless and deceptive." Atishi questioned the absence of an economic survey before presenting the budget and demanded clarity on revenue sources. "The BJP government has introduced a ₹1 lakh crore budget without any financial basis. The Delhi government has no confirmed revenue of ₹1 lakh crore. That is why we asked why the economic survey was not presented before the budget," she said.

Atishi further challenged the BJP government to release the economic survey and provide transparency regarding tax and revenue figures. She claimed that the budget was fabricated and that an economic survey would expose its flaws.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj also took aim at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the Yogi Adityanath-led administration was encouraging liquor consumption by offering a "buy one, get one free" scheme on alcohol. He claimed that long queues were forming outside liquor shops across the state, with people traveling from distant areas to take advantage of the offer.

Bhardwaj questioned why no action was being taken against these liquor shops and whether the BJP’s central leadership was behind this policy. "Is the Yogi government running this scheme with advice from the central BJP leadership? If not, why is the central leadership silent on this matter?" he asked.