New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been under fire ever since reports of a whopping Rs 50 crore being spent on renovation of his official home at 6, Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines, surfaced two years ago.
Many believe it was one of the issues which triggered his and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) downfall and defeat in the Delhi Assembly election two months ago.
The BJP, which unseated the AAP to return to power in Delhi after 27 years, had been going hammer and tongs at Kejriwal, having dubbed his official home as ‘Sheesh Mahal’.
On Saturday, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accused Kejriwal of living a lavish lifestyle at taxpayers’ expense.
Citing data from an RTI query, Sachdeva revealed during a press conference that the average annual maintenance cost of ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was over Rs 3.69 crore between 2015 and 2022.
Sachdeva claimed that Kejriwal’s extravagant lifestyle was first revealed by the Rs 52-crore renovation of the ‘Sheesh Mahal.” Accusing Kejriwal of corruption in governance, Sachdeva called for answers.
According to Sachdeva, the RTI application, filed by a Maharashtra resident, was answered by the Delhi government on December 29, 2023, and the information was forwarded to Delhi BJP. The data showed Rs 29.56 crore was spent on maintenance, including repairs, sewerage, electrical and carpentry work, at Kejriwal’s residence from March 31, 2015, to December 27, 2022.
“This means that, on average, Rs 3.69 crore was spent annually just on maintenance,” Sachdeva said.
He claimed that even properties owned by industrialists or large multiplexes in Delhi don’t require such high maintenance costs.
AAP is yet to respond to BJP’s allegations.
