BJP targets Arvind Kejriwal over CAG report on ‘sheesh mahal’

The BJP referred to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, which highlighted financial irregularities under the AAP government.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday criticised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over the Delhi government’s alleged expenditure on promoting government schemes, and claimed that the advertising costs were significantly higher than the funds allocated for the actual schemes.

BJP MP Sambit Patra. (PTI File Photo)

The BJP referred to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which highlighted financial irregularities under the AAP government, including the renovation of Kejriwal’s official residence at 6 Flagstaff Road.

“His spending is focused solely on his residence and protecting his ‘shop’, rather than on public needs, which reflects the reality of Kejriwal’s party. The citizens of Delhi will respond in the upcoming elections,” BJP MP Sambit Patra said during a press conference in New Delhi.

This copy will be updated as and when AAP responds to BJP's allegations.

Patra pointed out three programmes run by the Delhi government, comparing the actual spending on those schemes vis-a-vis their advertising budgets. For instance, in the ‘Business Blaster: Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum’ run by the Delhi education department, ₹54 crore was spent on the scheme, while ₹80 crore was spent on advertising it. The CAG report noted lack of information regarding the programme’s outcomes. On the ‘Desh Ke Mentor’ initiative, ₹1.90 crore was invested in the scheme, while over ₹27.90 crore was spent on advertising. Additionally, for a programme focused on crop residue management, ₹77 lakh was spent on the scheme, whereas ₹24 crore was allocated for its advertisement.

The BJP MP recalled that it was Kejriwal who had cited a similar CAG report against the Congress-led government during the anti-corruption movement in 2011-12, which marked his entry into active politics.

Patra also took a dig at Kejriwal for the CAG report’s mention of a mini bar established at his official residence at a cost of over ₹4.8 lakh, stating, “It is only fitting to have a mini bar at home after engaging in excise corruption.”

The BJP leader also read out several alleged discrepancies highlighted in the CAG report, especially the expenditures on the renovation of Kejriwal’s official residence when he was the CM, which were vastly disproportionate to the estimated costs.

Patra claimed that the renovation tender of the CM’s official residence was originally set at ₹8.62 crore, while the estimate was ₹7.61 crore. Eventually, the final payment after renovation reached ₹33.66 crore.

“We have never heard of such massive corruption, especially in one mansion – the Kejriwal’s sheesh mahal,” Patra said.

According to the CAG, the contractor for the renovation work was chosen arbitrarily without an open tender process, depriving the government of a competitive rate. This led to an excess spending of ₹25.80 crore. The report listed several expensive items installed in the residence, including kitchen equipment worth ₹40.08 lakh, a TV console costing ₹20.34 lakh, a silk carpet for ₹16.27 lakh, gym equipment for ₹18.52 lakh, and an L-shaped sofa for ₹6.40 lakh, among other items.

The controversy over the alleged irregularities in the renovation of the chief minister’s residence has become a focal point ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, with both the BJP and Congress attacking Kejriwal for allegedly misusing public funds on what they describe as the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also raised this issue recently, accusing Kejriwal of prioritising luxury over public welfare.