New Delhi: Ahead of the MCD polls in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is once again in the line of fire of the BJP.
Delhi BJP's official spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has put out posters in the city alleging that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has spent over Rs one crore of public money on tea and samosas in the last 18 months.
The BJP has reportedly found out about the splurge by posting a query to the government under the Right to Information Act.
Poster to expose @ArvindKejriwal 1 Crore Samosa Scam pic.twitter.com/mEGc5CPBqe
— Tajinder Pal S Bagga (@TajinderBagga) April 10, 2017
The 'samosa scam' comes days after Vijendra Gupta, the leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly, held a press conference to allege that the AAP government had squandered public funds on lunches at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence last year that cost a whopping Rs 13,000 per person.
Demanding the government’s resignation, Gupta, alleged that the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) had organised two lunch parties last year on 11 and 12 February for 50 and 30 persons respectively which cost over Rs11 lakh.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal termed the alleged expenditure “mind boggling”. “The government is a custodian of public funds entrusted to it by tax payers in the form of exchequer. But Kejriwal and his party have been misusing these funds for the last two years for its political needs and purposes,” Goyal said.
@pooja3goswami @narendramodi @sardanarohit @ravishndtv @AmitShah cm kejriwal celebrated 2year food of Rs10 lacks for 80 people i.e. Only Rs 12,000 per plate. Real bill was Rs 11 managed discount of 1 lack pic.twitter.com/kZhd7yB4Yq
— shiv (@hlgurjar1) April 9, 2017
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia denied the allegations saying he had never cleared the file for the expense which was sent to him. “The so-called food bill of Rs 13,000 was sent to me by officers for clearance a year back, but I never approved them. The files have been with the then LG Najeeb Jung’s office for the past six months. It seems the LG’s office has leaked it now under pressure from the BJP,” he alleged.
BJP seeks judicial probe into AAP's 'lunch splurge'
The permissible limit under financial rules is Rs1,250 per person for hosting a lunch in non-five star hotels, he said. “No codal formalities or financial rules were followed before placing the orders. Two bills were raised by DTTDC for a total amount of Rs 11,04,357,” Gupta said, showing the copies of the bills in a press conference.
With PTI inputs
