On March 22nd, 2023, Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot presented the Budget for the financial year 2023-2024. Tuesday, March 21st, the Delhi government’s budget was to be presented, but was resubmitted  by the finance minister to the Home Affair Ministry for approval amid the fight between the Aam Aadmi Party government  (AAP) and the Centre. The Union Home Ministry eventually approved the Delhi Budget on Tuesday, and today it will be presented in the Assembly by the Finance Minister of Delhi. 

This was the first time Kailash Gahlot presented the budget in the Assembly after getting the charge of the department of finance, following the resignation of Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister, who was arrested in connection with the Delhi excise Policy scam case  by the CBI (the Central Bureau of Information) and ED (Enforcement Directorate). Before Gahlot all eight previous budgets were presented by Sisodia and in the previous year, and the Delhi government’s budget size was Rs 75,800 crore and Rs 69,000 crore for the year of 2022-2023.

On Monday, CM and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the Centre had placed the budget of the government of Delhi on hold as it was scheduled to be presented. The centre has requested clarification on the AAP  government’s expenditure on advertisements before approving the presentation of the Budget, according to people with knowledge of developments in the Ministry of Home Affairs. “I would have been more happy if this budget was presented by Manish Sisodia who is like my elder brother. The budget is an expression of aspiration and expectation of the people,” Kailash Gahlot said in the budget speech. He further mentioned that this budget is dedicated toward a beautiful, clean, and modern Delhi. The Delhi government announces the Mohalla Bus yojana to strengthen last-mile connectivity. 

Just before the presentation of the Budget in the Assembly, the AAP engaged in a postal war and said ‘Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao’. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the centre to work together and tweeted “It is not right to stop every work of Delhi. Now people have started understanding and raising their voices, and stop fighting every day. Serve the people of Delhi and let’s develop Delhi together”. In the last 8 years, 21 new flyovers have been constructed and the middleman concept has been abolished by the Delhi government. The network of the Delhi metro doubled in the year 2015-2023. Today, the number of buses running in Delhi has increased to 7,379, which is the highest as of now.