NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released a video attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal over “Sheesh Mahal“, which constitutes a controversy around the renovation of Delhi CM house.
In a series of spoofs and memes that have overwhelmingly occupied the political parties’ social media space in the runup to the Delhi polls, the BJP used the popular Bollywood song ‘Lungi Dance’ to take on the ruling AAP over the “Sheesh Mahal”.
In the 2-minute clip that BJP posted on X, the party claimed that the people of the capital were “cheated” as while their woe remained unattended, Kejriwal spent crores in the renovation of the CM bungalow.
The BJP also raked up the waterlogging issues the city faces during monsoon to attack the AAP and highlighted pollution that often covers the capital.
Earlier, the BJP referred to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report and alleged it “exposed his (Kejriwal) black deeds.”
BJP Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva alleged that the 2022 CAG report documented an expenditure of Rs 33.86 crore on the residence, dubbed the “Sheesh Mahal”. He, however, claimed the actual cost was significantly 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,” Sachdeva said.
According to the CAG report, the renovation, which began in 2020, included luxury items such as an 88-inch OLED TV costing Rs 28.9 lakh, 10 other OLED TVs priced at Rs 43.9 lakh, a high-end refrigerator worth Rs 3.2 lakh, and a jacuzzi, sauna, and spa facilities costing Rs 19.5 lakh. The renovation also included seven servant quarters, costing an additional Rs 19.8 crore.
The BJP and Congress have seized on the scandal as a key issue in the upcoming Delhi polls. Both parties have accused Kejriwal of misusing public funds during a critical time when ordinary citizens were struggling with the pandemic’s economic fallout.