Several former Delhi ministers including chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and minister Saurabh Bharadwaj breached the permitted allowance to purchase several high-end devices during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged.
According to senior BJP leader and Power Minister Ashish Sood, the receipts of mobile phones purchased by former CM Kejriwal, former Deputy CM Sisodia, and other ministers showed the expenditure amounting to lakhs, exceeding the allocated reimbursement limits.
According to an official document cited by the Delhi minister, between 2015 and 2022, Kejriwal bought the iPhone 6s Plus and 7 Plus, and iPhone 12 and 13 Pro Max worth a total of Rs 4,53,800. Sisodia, on the other hand, purchased phones worth Rs 5.23 lakh between 2017 and 2022.
“All these (purchases under AAP govt) exceeded the Rs 50,000 and Rs 45,000 limits… Kejriwal’s office even sought post-facto approval for the excessive expenditure, stating in internal notes that the amount spent is on the higher side," Sood alleged.
On July 9 this year, the General Administration Department of the Delhi government revised the phone reimbursement cap to Rs 1.50 lakh for the chief minister and Rs 1.25 lakh for the Cabinet. The revision, as per officials, was carried out after 12 years with the last such revision taking place in 2013.
The 2013 order had set the allowance cap at Rs 50,000 for the chief minister and Rs 45,000 for ministers.
Sood's allegation came after AAP Delhi convenor and former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj attacked the BJP government over the revised reimbursement cap for the Delhi CM and Cabinet while ignoring the promises made to women during the Assembly elections and prioritizing the purchase of expensive phones.
"The BJP had promised Rs 2,500 per month to lakhs of women starting March 8. Yet not a single rupee has been disbursed. When it comes to buying Rs 1.5 lakh-worth phones and sanctioning unlimited bills for themselves, the BJP acts without delay. But when it comes to women, they hide behind committees," Bharadwaj had said.
Responding to the AAP's allegations, the BJP minister took a dig at AAP and said that AAP leaders were making such claims only to expose their own leadership.
"I feel that even Atishi and Bharadwaj are tired of their leaders Kejriwal and Sisodia, that is why they are highlighting these issues — so that we can expose their reality before the public," he said.
According to officials cited in a report by The Indian Express, the CM and ministers in the previous AAP regime bought expensive iPhones which went above the allocated allowance, despite the previous cap being set at Rs 50,000.
"Viewing the current market price and value of phone sets, the department decided to revise the amount," a senior officer said on Tuesday.
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