New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS): The political storm surrounding the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government's welfare schemes intensified on Wednesday as the state Women and Child Development Department disowned the Mahila Samman Yojana, sparking a war of words between the ruling party and the opposition BJP.

The scheme, which promised Rs 2,100 per month to women, was labelled as "fraudulent" by BJP leaders, who accused former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of misleading the public with false promises.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, slammed Kejriwal and the AAP for spreading misinformation.

Speaking to IANS, Gupta said: "On one hand, Kejriwal is making promises about schemes that don’t exist, and on the other, they are misleading the people of Delhi. It’s nothing short of cheating. They’re using OTPs to scam citizens. If the Delhi government is issuing an advertisement saying that there is no such scheme, Kejriwal should explain why AAP continues to speak about it."

He also accused the government of enabling cyber scammers by allowing such fraudulent claims to persist.

Gupta went on to predict a looming defeat for AAP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. "BJP hasn't even released its candidate list yet, and Kejriwal is already in panic mode, fearing his defeat," he said,

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva also joined the chorus of criticism, calling out Kejriwal for 'lying' about the existence of the Mahila Samman Yojana.

"Kejriwal is spreading lies. There is no such scheme; it doesn't exist in any legislative Bill or Assembly session. They have exposed him. The Sanjeevani Yojana and Mahila Samman Yojana schemes are purely fictional," he said.

"By promoting these schemes, Kejriwal is either collecting personal data from citizens or preparing for a future scam."

Sachdeva's remarks come after the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development Department itself disowned the Mahila Samman Yojana and issued a clear statement denying any involvement in collecting personal data or issuing cards under the programme.

The department categorically stated that it had not authorised anyone to collect personal data from elderly citizens or distribute any cards related to the scheme.

“Any individual or political party claiming to offer benefits under the Mahila Samman Yojana is acting fraudulently and without any authority,” the statement read, further emphasising that there was no official scheme by that name.

Meanwhile, in a press conference earlier in the day, Kejriwal accused the BJP of orchestrating a 'dirty conspiracy' to undermine his government and its leaders as the Delhi Assembly elections approach. Kejriwal’s claims were in response to the BJP’s continuous attacks on his government, particularly surrounding the alleged fraudulent schemes.

Kejriwal recently launched the registration process for two key welfare schemes – the Sanjeevani Yojana and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana – aimed at providing health coverage and financial support to vulnerable groups in Delhi.