Did Delhi BJP Chief Really Call Out Atishi for Misleading Flood Relief Claims?

New Delhi, Sep 9 (NationPress) Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday vehemently criticized the misleading and incorrect remarks made by Aam Aadmi Party leaders, particularly Leader of the Opposition Atishi, concerning the provisions available in flood relief camps and the compensation for farmers.

Sachdeva remarked that Atishi and her fellow AAP leaders are merely expressing false sympathy for farmers affected by floods; during their party's decade-long governance, farmers were consistently overlooked.

He emphasized that AAP leaders not only neglected to assist Delhi's farmers impacted by natural calamities in 2015, 2016, 2023, and 2024, but they also obstructed aid from the central government.

In 2010, the Congress-led government under Sheila Dikshit rescinded Delhi’s designation as an agricultural state. For a decade, Delhi’s farmers have persistently urged the Arvind Kejriwal government to take action to restore this status, but their appeals have gone unheeded.

Due to the Kejriwal administration's failure to restore Delhi’s agricultural state status, farmers are deprived of subsidies for tractors and various agricultural tools, rendering them ineligible for Central assistance during natural disasters.

In 2015 and 2016, severe hailstorms inflicted substantial damage on crops in Delhi, yet due to the negligence of the Kejriwal government, farmers have not received full compensation to date.

In October 2023, unexpected rainfall caused significant distress to farmers. The Kejriwal government declared merely Rs 55 crore in compensation, which was never distributed. Likewise, during the challenging monsoon season of 2024, farmers did not receive any compensation whatsoever.

Sachdeva urged that instead of offering fake sympathy for Delhi’s flood victims, AAP leaders should concentrate on the struggles of the devastated farmers and the impoverished in Punjab.

Earlier that day, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced her government's plans to provide compensation to farmers whose crops were harmed by the rains and floods.

While addressing reporters, CM Gupta stated, "Farmers will receive relief. The government is working diligently to help all those affected by the floods recover."

Her reassuring statements for distressed farmers coincide with a demand from the Delhi Congress for compensation of Rs 1 lakh per acre for crop damages.

Commending the tireless efforts of the administration for rain and flood relief, CM Gupta remarked, "We must intensify our relief efforts to ensure that victims are resettled in their homes as swiftly as possible."