The Aam Aadmi Party has announced that monthly stipend for women aged 18 years and above under Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana has been hiked to Rs 2,100 from Rs 1,000 proposed earlier. In a competitive space, after women voters of Maharashtra rewarded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress too unveiled its ‘Pyari Didi Yojana’ promising a monthly allowance of Rs 2,500 to eligible women. However, the BJP hasn’t come out with any announcement so far. However, News18 has learnt inside details of what could be the reason behind it and what may follow.
While the BJP is expected to take a similar route, what is debatable right now is the monthly amount the saffron party is ready to promise, said a Delhi BJP leader on condition of anonymity. The same Delhi BJP leader is of the opinion that “the leadership is thinking of Rs 2500. But having known Congress’s promise, it gave an edge to us. Whether the leadership would like to avail the edge in spite of the fiscal burden, is beyond my paycheck.”
Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while listing what his government has done for Delhi, gave a hint from his Rohini rally of what the women can expect in the days to come. “The BJP government in Delhi will ensure that running the house is easy for our mothers and sisters, education and jobs of our daughters are easier and secure, there is an increase in earning for the Delhi residents and there is increased saving in their pockets,” PM Modi said.
What’s interesting, however, is that BJP sources say AAP never had the target of giving a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100 to women and instead had decided on just Rs 1000. It was the BJP which wanted to surprise and shock both the AAP and the Congress with the Rs 2,100 allowance announcement and promise to continue all welfare measures, which the Prime Minister has already done. But somehow, the figure got leaked, said a BJP source, which was instantaneously announced by the Delhi government. Reportedly, everything happened so fast that the party and government were not on the same page, resulting in the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development and Health departments issuing public notices calling the scheme “non-existent”.
But now, the BJP source insisted it’s behind them and they “hope” the saffron party leadership will launch a women’s scheme promise that is “competitive”.
The BJP is slated to make its announcements in its Delhi manifesto whenever it releases it. Meanwhile, the Election Commission is likely to announce Delhi poll dates today.
From West Bengal’s ‘Lakhir Bhandar’ in 2021 to ‘Ladki Bahin’ in Maharashtra in 2024, financial assistance schemes for women have proven to be a game-changer for political parties like BJP, Congress, and TMC in Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal elections.
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