LoP and AAP leader Atishi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) whether it would fulfil the poll promise of providing free LPG cylinders to women on Holi.
Hitting back, the ruling party asked AAP why had it not kept its word on disbursing ₹1,000 to women for which it had allocated ₹2,000 crore in the 2024-25 budget.
Meanwhile, Delhi government sources said officials are preparing a blueprint of the proposal and that the criteria for the beneficiaries is yet to be decided.
The BJP had promised to provide LPG cylinders for ₹500 to women from poor families and one free cylinder each on Holi and Deepavali ahead of the February 5 Assembly election.
‘Another jumla?’
Addressing a press conference, Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Atishi said, “Holi is just three days away. Women across Delhi are waiting for their free cylinders. Many are visiting the offices of AAP MLAs with enquiries.”
“The BJP must answer — will every woman in Delhi get a free LPG cylinder on March 14 or was this yet another ‘jumla’ by the BJP? Like the promise to provide ₹2,500 every month to women,” she said.
Ms. Atishi added, “If Delhi’s women do not receive free cylinders on Holi, it will mean that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘guarantees’ are nothing but deceit.”
‘What of ₹2,000 cr.?’
BJP’s South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the party will fulfil all its poll promises, including free cylinders to women.
“Atishi should first tell everyone what happened to the promise of providing ₹1,000 to women, for which her government had allocated ₹2,000 crore in the 2024-25 budget. Why was the amount not disbursed? To date, no one knows what happened to that fund,” said Mr. Bidhuri.
Published – March 12, 2025 12:46 am IST