Leaders and members of the BJP Mahila Morcha staged a protest near the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, accusing him of “deceiving” the women of Delhi with his government’s newly launched ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claims that a scheme of the same sort had been declared by Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls but women in the state never received Rs 1,100 promised per month ahead of 2022’s polls, which AAP was promising for its polls of 2022.
The Delhi government had recently introduced the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana, promising a monthly payment of Rs 1,000 to women. Kejriwal further stated that this amount would be increased to Rs 2,100 if the AAP retains power in the upcoming Delhi elections.
Led by BJP Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey, protesters marched along Ashoka Road towards Chief Minister Kejriwal’s official residence at 5 Ferozeshah Road. But the protesting crowd was obstructed and some of them clambered atop police barricades even as they chanted slogans for AAP and against Kejriwal.
Pandey accused Kejriwal and his government of “cheating” the women of Delhi by promoting the scheme. She pointed out that a similar scheme was introduced ahead of the Punjab elections, but after AAP won, the promised financial aid of Rs 1,100 per month was never delivered.
“Under the guise of the Mahila Samman Yojana, AAP is organizing camps to collect Aadhaar numbers, voter IDs, and phone numbers, which we believe is part of a larger scam,” she alleged.
The BJP leaders also expressed concerns over the Delhi scheme, calling it another attempt by AAP to “mislead” women voters. “The AAP is once again deceiving the women of Delhi in the name of welfare schemes,” Pandey said.
Along with Pandey, other BJP Mahila Morcha leaders including Shyambala (in-charge) and Priyal Bharadwaj (general secretary) were detained by the police as they attempted to breach the barricades. They were later released.
BJP spokesperson Priyal Bharadwaj criticized the AAP for “fabricating schemes” to manipulate the public. “The AAP government has once again shown its true face by spreading lies and misleading the public,” she said. “The BJP stands firm against such deceit and demands accountability for the deliberate exploitation of women.”
The protest ended with BJP leaders vowing to hold the AAP accountable for what they termed as the “misuse” of women’s welfare schemes for political gain.
With inputs from PTI.