BJP points at Kejriwal's 'deeds'; AAP says claims based on forged papers

Sanjay Singh said that the CAG report comes in a sealed cover and has yet not been tabled in the Assembly and BJP is using 'forged' documents to push its narrative

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Monday claimed that a CAG report raised 139 questions related to the former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's previous Flagstaff Road residence and exposed his "black deeds"  Hitting back, Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh termed it as a classic diversionary tactic by the BJP and claimed that the saffron party had lost the narrative war in the run-up to the assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference, Sachdeva said that the Comptroller and Auditor General's report of 2022 cited an expenditure of Rs 33.66 crore on the "Sheesh Mahal" but the actual cost was far 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," he claimed.

The BJP has sharpened its attack on Kejriwal ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, alleging corruption related to the 6, Flagstaff Road, bungalow that he occupied as chief minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a jibe at Kejriwal, saying he built a "Sheesh Mahal" instead of paying attention to Delhi's public infrastructure.

Sachdeva charged, "The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has raised 139 questions and very minutely detailed the black deeds of Kejriwal."  He alleged that the bungalow was reconstructed without permission of the Delhi Urban Arts Commission and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

"What message did a chief minister give to Delhi by constructing the bungalow in an unauthorised manner?" he asked.

If the real cost of the bungalow is to be determined, the accounts of the public works and other departments have to be checked, Sachdeva said.

He also alleged that the public works department, instead of functioning as a government agency for the construction of the bungalow, acted as a "private organisation to please Kejriwal".

Sanjay Singh said that the CAG report comes in a sealed cover and has yet not been tabled in the Assembly. The BJP is using "forged" documents to push its narrative, the AAP Rajya Sabha MP alleged.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lecturing on corruption is like Osama bin Laden preaching peace," he said and claimed the CAG reports have exposed graft in various states ruled by the BJP.

For the past two years, BJP leaders have been harping on a fake narrative and have never been able to talk about any positive agenda for Delhi, he said.