NEW DELHI: Calling for the alleged misappropriation of Rs 2500 crore by municipal corporations led by the largest BJP that Commonwealth Games scam, chief minister Arvind kejriwal in a special session of Delhi Assembly on Friday he claimed that 7,500 hospital beds and 12,500 mohalla clinics could have been created with funds allegedly lost by the public purse.
Breaking his silence on the ongoing protests in front of his home by the three BJP mayors and councilors, Kejriwal said there had been multiple court orders mentioning that Delhi Government he had paid his dues to the corporations.
“Even after misappropriating Rs 2,500 crore, they are demanding more money from us. People have been telling me that we shouldn’t give them funds even if we owe them, ”Kejriwal said, concluding discussion on a resolution proposed by AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged scam.
In rejecting the charges, the BJP MLAs said the corporations were ready for an investigation by any agency. Opposition leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said he would resign if the allegations were proven to be true. He sought an apology from Kejriwal and others if the scam accusations turned out to be false.
“You state that you will resign if the scam turns out to be true. So why are you (BJP) not allowing a CBI query? CBI is below you, ”Kejriwal said, describing the 15 years of BJP leading corporations as a black era. He expected the era to end after the municipal elections of 2022.
Kejriwal said that while the AAP government was saving money on all its projects, scams amounting to Rs 5,000-10,000 crore were taking place every year at corporations. “Imagine what would have happened if they had formed the government in Delhi. The Rs 2,500 crore scam is from a single corporation this year. Corporations must have committed inexplicable scams in the last 15 years. Everyone on the streets will agree that there is a lot of corruption in the corporations and the government is honest, ”he said.
“In the last elections, the BJP replaced all its incumbent councilors. People tell me that the new ones have crossed all the limits of corruption, so even they will be replaced in the next elections. If this scam had not happened, the doctors and the rest of the personnel of the civic bodies would have received their salaries on time ”, said the CM.
Commenting that it was painful to hear the corporations claim that the Delhi government owed them Rs 13,000 crore, Kejriwal said: “The three corporations are not working because the mayors are protesting and the commissioners have not been appointed. I hope that the people of Delhi will take this into account during the next elections. ”
The second day of the assembly session was marked by protests from the AAP MLAs. They displayed placards inside the Chamber demanding action against BJP for the “scam.” Meanwhile, BJP MLA carried banners demanding outstanding fees of Rs 13,000 crore from corporations. Amid the uproar, the Chamber was suspended for 15 minutes. Bidhuri blamed the government for the delay in paying salaries to civic personnel, including doctors and health workers.
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