The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Saturday (April 29) that it welcomes the inquiry ordered by LG VK Saxena, who directed officials to secure expenditure records and requested a report on the matter within 15 days amid controversy over crores of rupees spent on renovating chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence. The BJP slammed the Delhi CM, saying that before they (Aam Aadmi Party) came to power, they used to call everyone in power corrupt, and no one knew they were speaking for themselves.
In a video posted by the news agency PTI, senior BJP leader Manoj Tiwari can be heard saying, "He and his party welcome Delhi LG's intervention into the matter because whatever money that has been spent on the renovation of the Delhi CM's residence is taxpayers' money, which should have been spent on issues like Yamuna river's cleanliness drive, better accessibility of water in the national capital, instead that the chief minister used the money for his home's renovation."
In another video, BJP leader Harshdeep Malhotra can be seen accusing Kejriwal of building a swimming pool for himself while his governed people lack access to safe and clean drinking water. He further said that Kejriwal and his other party members used to say that whoever comes to power becomes corrupt, but it is now clear that they used to say that for themselves, they began corruption as soon as they gained power.
According to BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bhiduri, Kejriwal violated the rules for renovating his official residence. "If he wanted to renovate his home, it should have been done the way it has been described by law, an estimate should have been laid out, tenders should have been passed, but nothing like that actually happened," he said.
READ | Secure Records, Submit Report Within 15 Days: Delhi LG To Chief Secy On 'Kejriwal Home Renovation'
In the midst of a controversy over crores of rupees spent on renovating chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence, LG VK Saxena has ordered officials to secure expenditure records and requested a report on the matter within 15 days.
The BJP has been criticising Kejriwal and the AAP, claiming that Rs 45 crore was spent on renovating the chief minister's residence at 6, Flagstaff Road during 2020-22. The AAP has responded, claiming that the BJP is using this issue to divert attention away from more pressing issues.
A Raj Niwas order issued on April 27 cited reports of alleged "gross irregularities" in the PWD's renovation of the residence.