New Delhi, Apr 26: The political slugfest over the alleged Rs 45 crore expenditure on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence intensified on Wednesday, with the BJP accusing him of building a “palace of corruption” while the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the BJP was trying to divert attention from real issues.
In a dig at the AAP founder and Delhi chief minister, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra called him a “Maharaj” and said even kings will bow to Kejriwal for his choice of “superior” products at the residence and his “lust for luxury and comfort”.
It is not only about the renovation of the residence but also of the Aam Aadmi Party’s ideology and its leaders’ mindset, he alleged.
AAP leaders including MLA Naresh Balyan shared on social media purported videos of the rubble that had fallen off from the roof of the chief minister’s old residence and claimed the house built in 1942 was in a state of disrepair.
The BJP alleged that Kejriwal, who had claimed to promote honesty and simplicity while entering politics, has built a “palace of corruption”.
This is the story of a king who is “shameless”, Patra said, in a counter to Kejriwal’s recent attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Delhi Assembly where he mocked the top BJP leader by narrating a story of a king.
Patra also alleged that Kejriwal offered Rs 20 crore to Rs 50 crore to media houses to not highlight the story but news channels and newspapers ignored the offer.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence was built in 1942 and the roof had collapsed thrice, Singh said.
Following the roof collapse incidents, the Public Works Department (PWD) suggested a new house be built and this was done, he said claiming Rs 30 crore was spent on the rebuilt house.
Kejriwal has been occupying the official residence- at 6 Flagstaff Road in the Civil Lines area after becoming chief minister in 2015. The residence also has the chief minister’s camp office spread over a 5000 square metre area, officials said.
Meanwhile, sources claimed that the expenditure of Rs. 44.78 crore on the renovation of Kejriwal’s official residence involved a “blatant violation” of government financial rules (GFRs) through the “connivance” of then PWD ministers and officials of the department.
“One is forced to wonder as to why an expenditure of about Rs.45 crore was not incurred through a single tender and work order. The answer lies in the fact that doing so would have involved due processes of an open tender, thereby making the clandestine exercise public,” a source claimed.
No official reaction was available from the AAP government over the fresh charges. (PTI)
