Kathmandu— The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) recent introduction of a 10-year residency requirement for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, which excludes Purvanchali women from its benefits. AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj emphasized that this discriminatory approach reflects the BJP's prejudiced stance towards migrants and marginalized communities.

Eligibility Criteria Under Scrutiny

Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP Delhi State President, highlighted at a press conference that the residency requirement is an unnecessary barrier for women seeking benefits under the scheme. He pointed out that other welfare schemes do not mandate such stringent conditions and can be self-attested by applicants without needing endorsements from local representatives.

Bharadwaj questioned why the BJP would impose a 10-year residency condition when it seeks votes from all residents, regardless of their length of stay in Delhi. He argued that this rule discriminates against women who have recently moved to the city and are ineligible for benefits despite contributing to the local economy.

Pink Card Initiative Criticized

The AAP leader also criticized the BJP's Pink Card initiative, which he believes is another discriminatory measure aimed at identifying and excluding women from certain benefits. Bharadwaj argued that such initiatives are unnecessary and serve to marginalize migrant workers who travel daily between Delhi and neighboring states like Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

He emphasized that while the government readily accepts votes from all residents, it imposes stringent conditions when it comes to extending welfare benefits, thereby denying these women their rightful entitlements.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.