NEW DELHI: BJP on Monday accused former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of financial irregularities linked to the renovation of his official residence on Flagstaff Road.
Referring to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, the BJP claimed it raised 139 questions about the expenditure and alleged it “exposed his black deeds.”
BJP Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva alleged that the 2022 CAG report documented an expenditure of Rs 33.86 crore on the residence, dubbed the “Sheesh Mahal.” He, however, claimed the actual cost was significantly higher.
“This report pertains to expenditure till 2022. There is no revelation on expenses of 2023 and 2024, and according to our information, the real cost runs up to Rs 75-80 crore if the inventory of the items in the bungalow is included,” Sachdeva said.
BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan accused former Kejriwal of betraying the people of Delhi, bankrupting the government, and fostering corruption over the past decade.
Kesavan’s remarks came in the wake of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which revealed that the total cost of renovating the chief minister’s official residence, referred to as the “Sheesh Mahal,” had ballooned to Rs 33.66 crore—far exceeding the initial estimate of Rs 7.9 crore.
“Arvind Kejriwal has muffled the truth and has now degenerated into a discredited and dishonest ‘Sheesh Mahal’ man. He can never cover up the frauds of the AAP. The CAG audit trail has been explosive and has exposed the AAP. The AAP government. has spent Rs 33.6 crores of taxpayers’ money in the ‘Sheesh Mahal’. That too during Covid when people were struggling for survival. The AAP and Kejriwal have betrayed the people of Delhi they have bankrupted the Delhi government and benefited by unleashing scams, scandals in a decade of disaster,” Kesavan said, as quoted by ANI.
Kesavan also expressed confidence that Delhi voters would reject AAP in the upcoming assembly elections, stating, “The people of Delhi have realised the AAP has derailed governance. They will sweep AAP into the dustbin of history and bless the BJP to form a government, ensuring Delhi plays its rightful role in our nation’s growth story.”
The controversy centres around the renovation of the Delhi chief minister’s bungalow during the Covid-19 pandemic, a period marked by halted public projects and widespread economic distress.
According to the CAG report, the renovation, which began in 2020, included luxury items such as an 88-inch OLED TV costing Rs 28.9 lakh, 10 other OLED TVs priced at Rs 43.9 lakh, a high-end refrigerator worth Rs 3.2 lakh, and a jacuzzi, sauna, and spa facilities costing Rs 19.5 lakh. The renovation also included seven servant quarters, costing an additional Rs 19.8 crore.
The BJP and Congress have seized on the scandal as a key issue in the upcoming Delhi polls. Both parties have accused Kejriwal of misusing public funds during a critical time when ordinary citizens were struggling with the pandemic’s economic fallout.
