Sources in the central government told TOI that the MHA had on examination of the budget found the outlay for advertisements and publicity higher than for heads like infrastructure development and public welfare initiatives. “A clarification was sought on this from the Delhi government and it has not been received yet,” a senior official told TOI.
The Delhi government, however, claimed that the budget allocation for advertisements and publicity was the same as last year and it had proposed to spend almost 40 times more on infrastructure development. “The concerns raised by MHA are irrelevant and this has been seemingly done only to scuttle the budget,” said Delhi finance minister Kailash Gahlot.
Though the MHA had conveyed its observations to the Delhi government on March 17, Gahlot said in a statement that he came to know about it only at 2 pm on March 20 and the file was officially put up to him at 6 pm.
He added that replies to the MHA’s queries were sent to the LG for approval within three hours, at 9 pm, through the chief minister. Raj Niwas sources confirmed that LG V K Saxena gave his approval to the file at 9.25pm and returned it to the CM for him to send it further to the MHA. Once the home ministry is satisfied with it, the budget, or the annual financial statement for 2023-24 as it is called in official parlance, will be sent to the President for her approval before it is laid before the Delhi Assembly.
Visibly upset over the development, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said at an event organised by a private news channel on Monday evening that for the first time a state would not be able to present the budget on the scheduled date.
“The Delhi budget cannot be presented tomorrow. It has happened for the first time in the history of India that the budget of the Delhi government has been stopped from being presented in the house just a day before by the central government,” alleged Kejriwal.
“The staff of Delhi government, doctors and teachers will not be paid their salaries. What is going on? This is goondagardi,” said Kejriwal, lashing out at the Centre.
While the budget session started on March 17 with the speech of the LG, the government tabled the economic survey and released the outcome budget on Monday. The annual budget was to be presented on Tuesday.
Being a Union territory with a legislative assembly, the Delhi government must send the annual budget to the home ministry for its approval. Only after the MHA go-ahead can the budget be presented in the assembly.
Sources in the LG’s office claimed that the budget was approved by the LG with certain observations on March 9 and sent to the chief minister and that the MHA had conveyed its observations to the Delhi government on March 17.
Gahlot, however, said he had come to know of the development only on Monday. “It is now learnt that the MHA expressed some concerns over the Delhi government’s budget and refused to give approval through a letter sent to the chief secretary on March 17, 2023. For mysterious reasons, the chief secretary kept the letter hidden for three days,” said Gahlot.
“I learnt about the letter only at 2pm today, that is, March 20, 2023. The file with the MHA’s letter was put up to me officially only at 6pm today, that is just a day before the budget was to be presented in the Delhi Assembly,” said the newly-appointed finance minister, who would be presenting his maiden budget.
Gahlot called for an investigation into the role of the chief secretary and finance secretary of Delhi “in delaying Delhi’s budget”.
The MHA, in a letter to the chief secretary of the Delhi government, has said that in the interest of fiscal health of the Union territory (Delhi), the LG had raised certain concerns. “The Government of NCT of Delhi is, therefore, requested to look into the concerns raised by the LG and resubmit, addressing the concerns, under the provisions of Section 27(1) and Section 30(1) of the Government of NCT of Delhi Act, 1991 (No. 1 of 1992), for further action at this end,” said the letter.
Some constitutional experts feel the Delhi government should not have announced the date of presenting the budget until it received the MHA’s approval.
“The Delhi finance minister merely reads out the budget as approved by the Union home ministry. Raising objections and seeking clarifications is a part of the budget approval process. Unless the MHA clears the annual financial statement to be presented before the house, the budget date should not have been announced,” said former Delhi Assembly secretary and constitutional expert S K Sharma.
Sharma, however, added that there was no crisis and there was ample time before the Delhi government to present the budget before the house. “The budget can easily be passed before the end of the financial year,” he said.
