Delhi CM allocates Rs 900 crore for slums; takes 'Sheesh Mahal' jibe at AAP

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced an allocation of more than Rs 900 crore for providing basic amenities in slum clusters as she accused the previous AAP government of building a "Sheesh Mahal" and neglecting the needs of slumdwellers.

She also took a jibe at the opposition AAP MLAs, saying in a lighter vein that the "Sheesh Mahal" would be included in Delhi's tourism circuit. 

The BJP -- which returned to power in Delhi after more than 26 years -- built its poll campaign narrative around corruption to corner AAP and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, dubbing the former chief minister's official residence a "Sheesh Mahal" for its "lavishness".

 

The BJP has already announced that its chief minister would not reside in the bungalow and that it would be put to some other public use.

Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, on Tuesday presented the city government's 2025-26 budget with an outlay of Rs 1 trillion, marking a 31.5 per cent increase from the previous year.

While the future of the "Sheesh Mahal" remains undecided, the chief minister announced that her government would build a "magnificent state guest house so that guests coming to Delhi can get proper respect and facilities".

She said while AAP built the "Sheesh Mahal and toilet pots in it worth lakhs of rupees, the BJP will build houses for the poor and toilets for slumdwellers".

A large part of the national capital's population lives in slums and jhuggi-jhopri colonies where even basic amenities have not been provided despite huge amounts being spent by the previous government, she alleged.

"Providing basic amenities in slums and jhuggi-jhopri colonies is the top priority of this government," she said, announcing an allocation of Rs 696 crore for the development of slums and jhuggi-jhopri colonies.

The allocation is 157 per cent higher than last year.

The chief minister further announced an allocation of Rs 230 crore for infrastructure work for streets, drains, toilets, bathrooms for women in jhuggi-jhopri colonies.

She pointed out that the previous AAP government had allocated Rs 42 crore for these in the last budget.

While sharing her government's plans for tourism development, Gupta said new additions by the Centre such as the Kartvya Path, Bharat Mandapam, Amrit Udyan, new Parliament building, and the National War Memorial would be included in the tourism circuit.

In a jibe at the AAP legislators in the House, she said, "We will include the 'Sheesh Mahal', too, as a tourist destination and show it to people through tickets."  The previous dispensation failed to provide benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban but the new BJP government will adopt the scheme so that the urban poor are benefitted, Gupta said while announcing Rs 20 crore for implementation of the scheme.  Rs 6,897 crore alloted to the MCD 

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday allocated Rs 6,897 crore to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in the 2025-26 budget, promising that the government will provide its fair share to support cleanliness efforts across the capital. 

Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented the 2025-26 budget in the Delhi Assembly, announcing a total outlay of Rs 1 trillion for the upcoming financial year. Of this, Rs 6,897 crore has been allocated to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to support efforts to clean and maintain the capital. 

During her budget speech, Gupta criticised previous governments for neglecting MCD's financial needs. 

"For the past 10 years, MCD never received its rightful share of funds. I was part of MCD myself, and I know how difficult it is to keep the city clean without proper financial support. How can we expect cleanliness when funds aren't allocated?" she said. 

She added that councillors often struggled due to a lack of resources, which hampered development and sanitation work. "This time, the government will ensure MCD gets its due share. The Rs 6,897 crore allocation will help improve waste management, sanitation, and overall cleanliness across Delhi," Gupta said.