Atishi, the Finance Minister of Delhi, presented the city’s budget for 2024-25 on Monday, highlighting the Arvind Kejriwal government’s emphasis on education. Proposing an allocation of ₹16,396 crore for the education sector in her inaugural budget speech, Atishi frequently mentioned ‘Lord Ram’ and ‘Ram Rajya.’
The total budget outlay for Delhi is ₹76,000 crore; Referring to Arvind Kejriwal as a ray of hope, Atishi expressed pride in presenting the government’s tenth budget and portrayed it as a transformative vision for Delhi. She affirmed the commitment to realizing the dream of ‘Ram Rajya’ and highlighted the trust the people of Delhi have in Kejriwal’s honesty. Atishi stated that all AAP MLAs draw inspiration from Lord Ram and are dedicated to bringing ‘Ram Rajya’ to Delhi.
She emphasized that saving lives aligns with the principles of ‘Ram Rajya’ and discussed the ‘Farishtey Dilli Ke’ scheme, wherein the government bears expenses for accident victims, having saved 22,000 lives under this initiative. Atishi announced an allocation of ₹8,685 crore for the health sector and introduced the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna, offering ₹1000 per month to women aged 18 and above.
While Arvind Kejriwal identifies as a Lord Hanuman devotee, AAP leaders abstained from the consecration ceremony of Ayodhya’s Ram Temple in January. Responding to the budget speech, BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj criticized the AAP government, alleging duplicity and stating, “It shows the duplicity of the (Delhi) government, which is deeply indulged in corruption, talking about ‘Ram Rajya.’ It doesn’t even suit them. There’s nothing new in today’s (Delhi) budget.”