The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that people want the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta government to order a probe into an alleged “scam” involving a women’s pension scheme during the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation in the national capital.

The AAP hit back, alleging the BJP, which is in power in Delhi, wants to shut down all welfare schemes for the people.

In a statement, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva cited media reports and claimed that, according to current findings, over 83,000 registered women beneficiaries of the pension scheme were “fake” or “suspicious” and said the “scam” involved ₹200 crore per year.

“The Delhiites now want the Rekha Gupta-led government to conduct a high-level investigation into the matter,” Sachdeva said.

The scheme provides monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 via direct benefit transfer to ensure social security for widowed, divorced, separated, abandoned, deserted, or destitute women above 18 years of age who lack adequate means of livelihood and fall under the poor and vulnerable category.

A Delhi BJP statement said that last year, some Delhi BJP MLAs and certain media outlets raised concerns about irregularities in the distribution of this pension and demanded an investigation.Following due approvals, an investigation began in October 2024.