Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on Thursday rubbished Aam Aadmi Party’s claim that Rs 45 crore was not spent on renovation but on rebuilding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house.
The Congress leader said that the residence can only be renovated and not rebuilt as it is a British-era building, adding that if the building has been rebuilt, then it is illegal.
Maken’s reaction was in response to AAP’s claim that Rs 45 crore was spent on rebuilding the bungalow as the 80-year-old building was in ruins and the roofs caved in thrice.
“As a former urban development minister who had prepared the Delhi masterplan, let me tell Raghav Chadha that it is totally illegal if the bungalow has been rebuilt,” Maken said, while questioning Kejriwal’s right to remain in his position.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha had said that the reconstruction was approved by the then BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Public Works Department (PWD) that reported to the Lieutenant Governor. “The reconstruction has been approved at every level,” Chadha claimed.
Citing an instance of when the ceiling of the building he resided in was caving in, Maken said, “When my ceiling was caving in and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) was under me, we got it repaired in Rs 2-4 lakh. We never thought of getting these curtains, blankets totalling Rs 45 crore.” Maken added
Maken alleged that the Delhi CM spent Rs 45 crore of public funds on his luxurious bungalow, including on extravagant items like Dior polish, Vietnam marble, expensive curtains, and high-end carpets.
Maken also took to Twitter and wrote, “Arvind Kejriwal, who had previously been known for espousing principles of austerity, had claimed to represent the common man and promised to provide a set of elected representatives who would eschew lavish styles of living, have no security, and travel like ordinary persons. In fact, he had even circulated a printed copy of a sworn affidavit promising to uphold these values during his political campaigns.”
While Maken has been vocal against Kejriwal, his party has not officially spoken either on the bungalow issue or on the Delhi excise policy scam.
On April 16, after Kejriwal appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over alleged corruption in Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor sales policy, Maken had asked his party not to “support” and “show any sympathy” to Kejriwal.
This came a day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge dialled Kejriwal and discussed the need for opposition unity to face the BJP in the national election next year.
“It is important for all political leaders, including those from the Indian National Congress (INC), to recognize that the money gained through corrupt means by Kejriwal has been used against the Congress Party in several states, including Punjab, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi,” Maken posted on Twitter.
Raghav Chadha’s jibe at PM Modi
Meanwhile, AAP MP Chadha hit out at PM Modi and called him ‘4th pass Raja’ after BJP hit out at Kejriwal over the Rs 45 crore ‘house renovation’ during the pandemic. Chadha also attacked PM Modi over the aircraft in which he travels, saying that during the inauguration of an IIT which PM Modi attended, the aircraft cost Rs 10 crore for an hour.