The BJP and Congress on Tuesday welcomed a Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) probe into alleged irregularities in the construction of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official bungalow in the national Capital. While senior Congress leader Ajay Maken called for a full blown criminal investigation, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly and BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said laws were flouted in the construction of ‘Sheeshmahal.’

Addressing a news conference here, Bidhuri said laws were flouted in the construction of the bungalow and in this connection the BJP MLAs submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister on June 24, 2021.

It was clearly stated that of law did not permit Chief Minister’s residence beautification as being done in the Corona period and information about the expenses was also sought in writing.

Bidhuri said we had asked Kejriwal whether any permission has been taken from Delhi Urban Art Commission to demolish this house, but Kejriwal had no answer, whereas at that time only the first instalment of the construction of the house had been approved.

Bidhuri also said that we also asked him whether you got the sanction plan passed and also from whom permission was taken for the dozens of trees that were removed. We have asked whether tenders were floated for the Rs 53 crore spent, he added.

The BJP leader questioned that there were 21 officers’ flats behind the Chief Minister’s residence, out of which 8 flats were demolished and the rest were merged with the Chief Minister’s residence, from whom permission was taken to do all this.

 Manoj Tiwari, MP, said Kejriwal is sure to go to jail after the investigation against corruption in Sheeshmahal begins. Kejriwal is such a leader who used to talk about fighting against corruption before coming into politics and when he came to power, he gave such a government to Delhi whose every department in inundated in corruption, Tiwari said.

Tiwari said Kejriwal knew that tenders for works above Rs 10 crores would have to go through legal steps, so he tried to loot Delhi’s treasury by making tenders below 10 crores. But Kejriwal forgot that this country is run by the constitution, the BJP MP charged.

Demanding a full-blown criminal investigation into the “outrageious expenditure of Rs 171 crore” on the renovation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, Maken said the criminal investigation is not just needed; it’s a demand of justice. “It’s outrageous that public money was squandered on Dior-polished imported marble, million-rupee curtains, and kitchen appliances worth crores, all while demolishing a British-era heritage structure and callously decimating trees,” he said.

 “Sheesh Mahal Breaking News: Encouraged to see the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) stepping up to scrutinize the egregious expenditure of Rs 171 crore of public funds on Arvind Kejriwal’s opulent ‘Sheesh Mahal’. Yet, this mere audit barely scratches the surface of this flagrant misuse of resources,” the Congress leader also said.

The former union minister said this “extravagance” unfolded amidst the COVID crisis, when Delhiites were gasping for oxygen, struggling for livelihoods, and battling hunger.

 “Mr. Kejriwal, your audacious actions have revealed a chilling truth. You have morphed from a champion of the ‘Aam Aadmi’ and an anti-corruption crusader to a figure steeped in corruption, indulging in a king-like lifestyle in your ‘Sheesh Mahal’. A sad but fitting testament to your reign,” he said.