Arvind Kejriwal spent Rs 45 crore on 'beautification' of official residence during peak Covid

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday claimed that around Rs 45 crore was were spent on the "beautification" of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence in the Civil Lines area of the city and demanded his resignation on "moral" ground.

Hindi news channel Times Now Navbharat revealed the massive expenditure done on the renovation under #OperationSheeshMahal which was trending at No. 1 on Twitter.

No immediate reaction was available from the Delhi government or the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the BJP claims.

"It was not renovation and a new structure has come up in the place of the old structure. His camp office is also there. The expenditure is around Rs 44 crore but what is to be noted that the old structures have been replaced with new ones," a senior PWD official said.

Documents provided by sources showed that a total of Rs 44.78 crore against a sanctioned amount of Rs 43.70 crore was spent on "addition/alternation" of his government accommodation on 6, Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines.

The amount was spent in six trenches between September 9, 2020 to June, 2022, the documents showed.

According to the documents, the total expenditure included Rs 11.30 crore on interior decoration, Rs 6.02 crore on stone and marble flooring, Rs one crore on interior consultancy, Rs 2.58 crore on electrical fittings and appliances, Rs 2.85 crore on fire fighting system, Rs 1.41 crore on wardrobe and accessories fitting, and Rs 1.1 crore on kitchen appliances.

A separate amount of Rs 8.11 crore out of the sanctioned amount of Rs 9.99 crore was spent on the camp office of the chief minister at his official residence, it showed.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said in a statement that the amount of Rs 45 crore was spent on the "beautification" of Kejriwal's bungalow at a time when Delhi was battling COVID-19.

"Kejriwal should answer the people of Delhi about his moral authority with which he spent around Rs 45 crore on the beautification of his bungalow when most of the public development works were stalled during the Covid phase," Sachdeva said.

It has been established that Kejriwal does not live in a house but a "Sheesh Mahal" (in opulence), said the Delhi BJP president and asked the chief Minister to resign on "moral" grounds.

He said the 16-month period from September, 2020 to December, 2021 was the peak Covid phase when industrial activities were halted and Delhi government revenue had come down by to less than half, and it had stopped development projects citing a lack of funds, he said.

"In that critical phase Kejriwal's splashing about Rs 45 crore on his house is a big proof of his insensitivity," Sachdeva alleged.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged that the "simplicity and honesty" of Kejriwal has been "exposed" and he should immediately resign.