Atishi attacks Delhi BJP govt over monthly allowance for women, AAP MPs defection

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi on Tuesday questioned Rekha Gupta government over its poll promise of providing Rs 2,500 per month to women and termed the acceptance of the merger of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs with the BJP as ''unconstitutional''. Addressing a press conference, Atishi said that BJP ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections in January last year, promised that women in the national capital would start receiving Rs 2,500 in their bank accounts from March 8 that year. She said women were told to link their mobile numbers with their bank accounts and were assured that they would receive an SMS confirming the transfer of the amount. ''March 8, 2025 has passed, and now March 8, 2026 has also passed, but women in Delhi have not received Rs 2,500 in their accounts,'' the former Delhi Chief Minister said. Atishi alleged that the BJP had secured women's votes on the basis of this promise and said women in the city were still waiting for clarity on when the financial assistance would be provided. She also claimed that women were facing inconvenience in availing public services, alleging that those who earlier travelled easily on DTC buses were now standing in queues for pink cards, while access to free medicines, treatment and tests had also become difficult. On the merger of MPs with the BJP, the AAP leader said the Rajya Sabha chairman's decision to accept it was against constitutional provisions and anti-defection laws. She said the Constitution clearly states that for a merger to be recognised, the original political party must merge, along with the support of at least two-thirds of the legislative party. According to her, there is no constitutional provision that allows only two-thirds of MPs to merge with another political party without the merger of the original party itself. AAP leaders have maintained that the move violates the anti-defection framework and said they would continue to raise the issue through constitutional and legal means.

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