New Delhi: The BJP has fired a fresh salvo at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leader Arvind Kejriwal after a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) revealed the money splurged on the renovation of the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence.
According to news reports, a CAG investigation found that the preliminary estimate for the renovation was Rs 7.91 crore, which shot up to Rs 8.62 crore when the work was awarded in 2020. However, by the time the Public Works Department finished the project in 2022, the cost had zoomed to Rs 33.66 crore.
A report in The Indian Express revealed that former CAG Girish Chandra Murmu approved this report just a week before his tenure got over in November. Speaking to the media on Monday, Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva said the sum of Rs 33.66 crore was “just a figure” and the actual renovation cost was far higher.
He pointed out: “To precisely estimate the exact cost of this bungalow, we would need to review the accounts of various departments and include the inventory prepared by PWD on October 11, 2024. This would reveal that Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was illegally built and furnished/decked up at an estimated cost of around Rs 75 to 80 crore.”
The BJP has coined the term ‘Sheesh Mahal’ to refer to the renovated Chief Minister’s bungalow. The Opposition party has alleged that AAP and Kejriwal were involved in massive corruption in the renovation process, a charge that AAP has stoutly denied.
Questions raised over PWD’s tender process
The CAG report highlighted concerns over the “doubtful” selection of consultants, frequent revisions of estimates, and the inclusion of items with higher specifications beyond the original approvals. It also raised questions about the PWD’s tender process for identifying contractors for the project.
The Delhi BJP chief said that the key takeaway from the CAG report regarding the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ is that under the Arvind Kejriwal government, the PWD operated not as a government agency, but as a personal institution for Chief Minister Kejriwal.
Sachdeva said that it is crucial to note that the manner in which PWD officials breached every rule and law to construct this ‘Sheesh Mahal’ clearly suggests a case of corruption involving a “give and take” arrangement. The Chief Minister and the relevant ministers must have also turned a blind eye to the numerous corrupt activities carried out by the officials, he underlined.
The BJP further pointed out that the PWD classified the project as an emergency and issued the work order on September 1, 2020. This was amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were facing hardships and jobs were on hold, the BJP said, doubting the necessity and urgency of the project during such a challenging time.
The CAG report revealed that the renovation, which began in 2020, featured luxury items such as an 88-inch OLED TV worth Rs 28.9 lakh, 10 other OLED TVs totalling Rs 43.9 lakh, a high-end refrigerator costing Rs 3.2 lakh, and jacuzzi, sauna, and spa facilities amounting to Rs 19.5 lakh. Besides, the renovation included seven servant quarters, adding Rs 19.8 crore to the entire cost.
| Luxury items | Cost |
| 88-inch OLE TV | Rs 28.9 lakh |
| 10 other OLED TVs | Rs 43.9 lakh |
| High-end refrigerator | Rs 3.2 lakh |
| Jacuzzi, sauna, and spa facilities | Rs 19.5 lakh |
‘Kejriwal betrayed people of Delhi’
BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan also accused Kejriwal of betraying the people of Delhi, bankrupting the government, and promoting corruption over the past decade.
Kesavan was quoted as saying by ANI: “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 crore 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.”
