NEW DELHI, Nov 8: The BJP on Friday claimed that former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has become “the biggest symbol of VVIP culture” as it slammed the AAP convenor citing high costs of appliances and items, including toilet seats worth around Rs 12 crore, used in his residence when he was at the helm of the government.
At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia dredged up a 2013 social media post of Kejriwal, an anti-corruption activist who had taken the political plunge in 2012, in which he had lashed out at the then chief minister Sheila Dikshit saying she had 10 ACs, including in bathrooms.
Kejriwal had then accused her of corruption and questioned how can a chief minister live in such comfort when over 40 per cent of Delhi’s population lived in jhuggis, Bhatia noted, adding that the AAP leader has since deleted the post.
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Citing official documents after Kejriwal quit as chief minister and left his official residence, the BJP leader said the bungalow had 21,000 sq ft built up area and 50 ACs in addition to a 250-tonne air conditioning plant. It had toilet seats costing 12 crore and a TV was worth over Rs 28.91 lakh, he claimed.
If Dikshit was wrong and corrupt for having 10 ACs, then how will Kejriwal describe this luxury, Bhatia asked, accusing him of burying the political ideology that brought him to power.
“He has become the biggest symbol of VVIP culture. Arvind Kejriwal is the most corrupt politician India has seen. If he has moral courage, then he should answer…,” he said.
The BJP spokesperson claimed that people will finish off Kejriwal politically.
He was a leader who had sworn in his children’s name that he would never use big bungalows like conventional politicians, Bhatia said.
He also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly carrying a copy of a booklet with cover of the Constitution but having blank pages. The Congress has rejected the claim.
Hitting back at the claims of Gandhi and other opposition leaders that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anti-Constitution, Bhatia said the BJP dispensation has in fact worked to advance the ideas espoused by the Constitution.
The Congress kept Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir despite it being a temporary provision, imposed president’s rule over 90 times and invoked Emergency, violating the spirit of Constitution time and again, he said.
Gandhi should apologise, he added. (PTI)
