Salient Points of Press Conference of BJP National Spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Sambit Patra
Arvind Kejriwal, in 2012-13, used to take the CAG report and hold press conferences. Based on that, he formed a government against the Congress. Therefore, Arvind Kejriwal knows the importance of the CAG report
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The remodeling was estimated to cost ₹7.61 crore for Kejriwal's residence. However, the tender was floated for ₹8.62 crore, which means the tender cost was 13.21% higher, indicating a scam in the tender process itself
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Kejriwal's ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was completed in 2022 at a cost of ₹33 crore 66 lakh. The cost was 342.31% more than the estimated amount. Such a huge scam was committed behind Arvind Kejriwal's Sheesh Mahal
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Arvind Kejriwal, on one hand, walks around in a simple shirt, pen, and slippers, but on the other hand, he walks on a silk carpet and keeps a mini bar in the same attire. Such a person is unimaginable anywhere in the world—neither in the past nor in the future
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The CAG report reveals that no advertisements were made for consultants, as required by norms. Instead, spot quotations were used, and three consultants were pre-selected for the tender without any specifications or basis for their selection
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The preliminary estimate for the built-up area was 1397 sq. ft., but it was changed overnight to 1905 sq. ft., a 36% increase. There were no advertisements, no permissions sought, and the process was carried out without due procedure
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The CAG raised concerns about the tendering process, highlighting the arbitrary shortlisting of the bidder and the failure to use an open tender process, which led to the government being deprived of competitive rates
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Kejriwal's residence had 8 bedrooms, 3 meeting rooms, 2 kitchens, 2 drawing rooms, 12 toilets, 1 dining room, and numerous other items, including 14 sofas, 28 tables, and 31 chairs. These details are just for one floor, with similar information covering three floors in the report
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Arvind Kejriwal diverted all the extra money, including the funds meant for the 8 servant quarters, to his home
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The CAG report highlighted deviations in agreement quantities, with several items being raised. As a result of these deviations, an additional payment of nearly ₹10 crore had to be made
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Arvind Kejriwal deserves to be called ‘Advertisement Baba,’ as the CAG highlighted that the expenditure on advertisement campaigns for various programs was manyfold higher than the amounts spent by the respective departments
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Arvind Kejriwal has prioritized spending on his personal residence and safeguarding his political interests while showing no regard for the public's needs. This reflects the true nature of Arvind Kejriwal's party
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Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Sambit Patra addressed a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. Dr. Patra criticized Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government for the exposed corruption in building ‘Sheesh Mahal,’ as revealed by the CAG report. He pointed out that the estimated amount was ₹7 crore 61 lakh, while the final payment made was ₹33 crore 66 lakh, which was 342.31% more than the estimated cost.
Dr. Patra highlighted that the CAG report has been published on the evaluation of Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP government. We must recall that it was the same Arvind Kejriwal, in 2012-13, who used to take the CAG report and hold press conferences. Based on that, he had formed a government against the Congress. So, Arvind Kejriwal knows the importance of the CAG report.
Dr. Patra stated that the CAG has focused on many issues, but the main focus was Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, ‘Sheesh-Mahal.’ Kejriwal had earlier refused to take any government residence or vehicle, but how he had grabbed all these facilities has been reported in the CAG report. Arvind Kejriwal’s designated residence is at 6, Flag Staff Road. It was an old building, and renovations often take place. However, it is surprising that the CAG report suggests that on 17th March 2020, Delhi's PWD department had provided a proposal to remodel Kejriwal’s residence. The one-storey building was to be demolished, and another storey was to be added. The proposal was passed within a single day, and it might be the first time that any proposal has been accepted on the same day.
BJP National Spokesperson remarked that the estimated cost for the construction of Arvind Kejriwal’s residence was ₹7 crore 61 lakh. However, the tender amount processed was ₹8 crore 62 lakh, which is a 13.21% increase from the estimated cost, highlighting the corruption already involved in the tender cost. Subsequently, in April 2022, the work was carried out during the Covid pandemic. But the final payment made in 2022 amounted to ₹33 crore 66 lakh. The estimated cost was ₹7 crore 61 lakh, but the final payment was 342.31% more than that and 290.49% higher than the tender amount of ₹8 crore 62 lakh. Such corruption behind Arvind Kejriwal's ‘Sheesh Mahal’ has never been seen before. The CAG report also reveals that there were no advertisements for consultants, as per norms for the residence. Instead, the work was done through spot quotations, and three consultants were informed in advance to be provided with the tender. The CAG report states that consultants were selected on the same day without any specifications or basis for their selection.
Dr. Patra stated that the preliminary estimates were frequently changed from what was originally presented. The CAG notes that there is no justification for the payments made to the consultants, and the PWD increased the built-up area. The preliminary estimate for the built-up area was 1397 sq. ft., but overnight it was changed to 1905 sq. ft., which is 36% more than the initial estimate. There were no advertisements, no permissions sought, and the process was carried out without due procedure. Furthermore, the applicable specifications were altered, and PWD had to change the preliminary estimates four times. The CAG has also stated that before the expenditure was approved, administrative approval was granted two months after spending on amenities for Kejriwal’s residence, done in a corrupt manner.
Dr. Patra pointed out that the CAG raised concerns about the tendering process, specifically the arbitrary shortlisting of the bidder and the failure to use an open tender process, which resulted in the government being deprived of competitive rates. No competitive bidding took place, and without using an open tender process, the tender was awarded to a particular party. This led to an excess payment of ₹25 crore and eighty lakhs. Out of the total agreement items, quantities amounting to ₹4.3 crore were executed in excess, as detailed in the annexure of the CAG report. For example, the agreement was made for first-class teak and Burma teak wood, but a substitute superior quality Burma teak wood was used, resulting in an additional expenditure of ₹5,12,725. The agreement for door handles was for brass lever handles, but stainless steel handles were used, leading to an extra expenditure of ₹5,40,000. Similarly, Italian marble stone was used instead of vitrified floor tiles, which resulted in an additional cost of ₹9,14,000.
Dr. Patra pointed out that earlier, a thermostat shower mixer with a three-way diverter was installed, but it was later replaced with a thermostat shower mixer with a high-flow thermostat trim, resulting in an additional expense of approximately ₹5 lakh. Instead of a 10-watt recessed LED light, a 12-watt recessed light was installed, leading to an extra expenditure of ₹45 lakh. There were items with superior specifications and additional items for which no agreement was made. This includes a pre-fabricated lift and sliding doors, resulting in an expenditure of ₹60 lakh. The modular kitchen on the ground floor, first floor, and second floor led to an extra expenditure of ₹68,75,877. For the vanity, master bedroom, family lounge, powder room, middle room, guest room, study room, and bedroom, more than ₹1 crore was spent. There are many such additional expenses, including the cost of expensive curtains, which have already been highlighted.
BJP National Spokesperson expressed surprise at where the money was spent. The cost, including installation charges, of some of the most expensive items at the residence were as follows: the TV console, which cost ₹20,34,200, and the mini bar, which incurred an expense of over ₹4,80,000. Given the large-scale liquor scandal, having a mini bar at home seems almost expected. While owning a mini bar is a personal choice, the fact that it was financed with public funds raises serious concerns. The L-shaped sofa cost ₹6,40,000, the treadmill and gym equipment amounted to ₹18,52,000, kitchen equipment totaled ₹40,08,000, and a silk carpet worth ₹16,27,690 was purchased. Arvind Kejriwal, on one hand, walks around in a simple shirt, pen, and slippers, but on the other hand, he walks on a silk carpet and keeps a mini bar in the same attire. Such a person is unimaginable anywhere in the world—neither in the past nor in the future. For them, even an Oscar award would fall short. The round dining table cost ₹4,80,000, the upholstered bed was priced at ₹4,00,000, and the fox leather cladding amounted to ₹6,00,000.
Dr. Patra stated that the CAG report is so voluminous that he couldn’t read all of it, but what he did go through left him greatly astonished. Additionally, Arvind Kejriwal had claimed that he works tirelessly, which is why he needed a camp office and a staff block, for which crores of rupees were sanctioned. However, after the crores were approved, there was no construction of the staff block, and there is no mention of it anywhere. Furthermore, the construction of the camp office was halted midway. In October 2023, when the report was released, the camp office was not even constructed, yet Arvind Kejriwal's office claimed in writing that it was completed. The report mentioned that it was 100% complete, even though the office had not been built. Despite the office not being completed, the contractor was paid for the work. An agreement had been made for ₹19.8 crore for the camp office, but even without the office being finished, ₹19.22 crore was paid to the contractor.
Dr. Patra highlighted that the service and electrical works were overestimated by ₹1.41 crore at the camp office and ₹86 lakh at the staff quarters, indicating a diversion of funds. Arvind Kejriwal installed ₹2 crore worth of sanitary items, furniture, and gym equipment at his residence but falsely reported that ₹1.87 crore had been spent on the camp office and staff office. Arvind Kejriwal claimed that he needed 8 servant quarters because he works extensively. For these quarters, he had an allotment made at 33, Shyamnath Marg. However, the entire expense was incurred for his residence at 6 Flag Staff Marg. The funds were allotted for one location, but the money was spent on his own residence. Arvind Kejriwal diverted all the extra money, including the funds meant for the 8 servant quarters, to his home.
Dr. Patra highlighted that the CAG report pointed out deviations in agreement quantities, with many raised items. Due to these deviations, an extra payment of nearly ₹10 crore had to be made. This entire matter is mentioned in the CAG annexure. Arvind Kejriwal's residence had a built-up area of 1905 square meters, which is approximately 21,000 square feet. In this 21,000 square feet built-up area, Kejriwal had 8 bedrooms, 3 meeting rooms, 2 large kitchens, 2 drawing rooms, 12 toilets, 1 dining room, 14 sofa sets, 28 tables, 31 chairs, 3 beds, 3 mattresses, 12 curtains, and 6 wooden blinds. These details are for just one floor, and the report goes on to discuss similar details for three floors. The house had Bose ceiling speakers and speakers installed in all areas, including the kitchen, toilet, washing area, and gym. There were 12 large chandeliers, along with numerous other expensive items. This lavish setup is widely known to everyone.
Dr. Patra highlighted what the CAG had to say about ‘Advertisement Baba’ i.e., Arvind Kejriwal. The CAG had tabulated and shown details of various programs, specifying which department was involved, the timeline of advertisements for each program, how much was spent on advertising, and the total expenditure for each program. The programs included “Business Blaster: Entrepreneurship Mindset Curricular Program,” for which ₹54 crore was spent on brain development and fostering a business mindset, with an additional ₹80 crore spent on advertising. The CAG pointed out that the expenditure on the advertisement campaign was 1.5 times higher than the amount the education department spent on distributing seed money. Furthermore, there was no information provided on the final outcome of the program, such as which business ideas were selected for developing business models.
Dr. Patra pointed out that the second program was “Desh Ke Mentor,” which ran advertisements from October 9, 2021, to October 26, 2021. The program itself cost ₹1.90 crore, while ₹27.90 crore was spent on advertising. The CAG pointed out that the expenditure on the advertisement campaign was more than 13 times the amount spent by the education department on the program. The third program was related to “Crop Residue,” which fell under the development department. From 2020 to 2022, advertisements for this program were issued, costing ₹77 lakh for the program itself, with ₹24 crore spent on advertising. The CAG highlighted that the expenditure on the advertisement campaign was 31 times higher than the ₹77 lakh spent by the development department on the procurement and spraying of bio-decomposers and allied materials. There were numerous such programs where Arvind Kejriwal spent 31 times, 13 times, or 10 times more on advertisements than on the actual programs themselves. Arvind Kejriwal has spent on his own home and on saving his political shop but has shown no concern for the public. This is the true reality of Arvind Kejriwal's party. The people of Delhi are watching and listening, and they will surely give their answer in the upcoming elections.
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