Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Union Minister for Energy and Urban Development Manohar Lal Khattar has said that AAP could have won five to seven more seats in Delhi Assembly polls if Arvind Kejriwal had not made his controversial remark about the Yamuna water being poisoned by Haryana. Khattar said that the comment proved detrimental to AAP's campaign.

Addressing a press conference at Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre on Sunday, Khattar said that Kejriwal had earlier promised to contest 2025 elections only after cleaning Yamuna river.

However, when the river remained uncleaned, Kejriwal tried to shift the blame onto Haryana, he said. Also present at the conference were Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and BJP State President VD Sharma. CM Yadav thanked the Centre for allocating provisions that would benefit Madhya Pradesh in various sectors.

New Swachh League

Union Minister Khattar addressed also concerns regarding the ongoing cleanliness survey, acknowledging that many states have expressed dissatisfaction over Indore consistently ranking first. He said that these states have questioned why they should continue competing in the survey if one city always dominates.

To resolve this issue, Khattar said that a new "league" will be created for cities that have consistently ranked in the top three over the past few years. These cities will now compete among themselves, with the city that finishes last being evicted from the league.

Additionally, a general category will be introduced, allowing normal cities to compete for the first, second, and third positions in the cleanliness rankings. This new format aims to create a more dynamic and competitive environment for the cleanliness survey.

‘Visionary Budget’

Khattar praised the Union Budget as visionary, emphasising its alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of making India a developed nation by 2047. He said that the budget provides substantial relief to middle class by exempting incomes up to Rs 12 lakh from taxes.

Additionally, it introduces new schemes designed to address current needs. Khattar said that the budget plans to construct 3 crore new houses, with 2 crore in rural areas and 1 crore in urban areas.

He also highlighted the increase in youth-focused allocations to Rs 38,000 crore, a significant jump from Rs 1,200 crore in 2013-14. Moreover, he credited skill development programmes with contributing to a reduction in the unemployment rate, which has dropped from 4.2% to 3.2%.