New Delhi:
A defiant Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday dismissed allegations of irregularities in the construction of the Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence, and told a “nervous” Prime Minister Narendra Modi he was welcome to any investigation but would find no evidence of illegal activities. The Aam Aadmi Party leader said “more than 50 investigations have been conducted so far… nothing was found”.
Mr Kejriwal’s response comes a day after the CBI opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction of his official residence in the city’s Civil Lines area. The central agency has demanded several documents, including building plans, approval and payment details.
The agency also asked the Delhi government’s Public Works Department for documents pertaining to “request from client for executing work of superior specification”, including marble flooring.
“This is not the first time. This shows the PM is nervous… it shows the PM is worried. Sometimes he accuses me of liquor scams, sometimes it is a bus scam (the BJP has claimed a “multi-crore panic button scam” in the purchase of buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation)…” Mr Kejriwal chuckled.
“They have done all sorts of investigations… very thorough ones. For eight years… ever since I became CM. Kejriwal won’t bow down… no matter how many fake investigations he (PM Modi) files nothing will be found. This investigation is also welcome…” the Delhi Chief Minister said.
On Wednesday, shortly after the CBI announced its preliminary inquiry, the AAP accused the BJP of “using all its strength to destroy…” it and said “Kejriwal will continue to fight for the common man”.
Controversy over Mr Kejriwal’s official residence erupted earlier this year after the BJP accused the AAP of spending over Rs 45 crore on renovations.
The BJP declared Mr Kejriwal had betrayed the “simple living” promise he made on entering politics, and also alleged, without evidence, that he had offered the media up to Rs 50 crore to bury the story.
The BJP waved documents to show Mr Kejriwal’s residence had been fitted with marble from Vietnam and pre-fabricated wooden walls and curtains that cost lakhs of rupees each. One curtain alone cost nearly Rs 8 lakh, the party claimed.
The AAP had hit back strongly to these allegations, claiming that the dilapidated condition of the Chief Minister’s allotted home had necessitated renovations. The party accused the BJP of hiding the condition of the house before it was rebuilt.
