CAG reports on AAP government’s tenure to be tabled in Delhi Assembly on Feb 25

The BJP-led Delhi government is set to table 14 pending Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reports on the previous AAP government’s performance in the Delhi Assembly on February 25.

According to the BJP MLAs, the reports will be presented on the second day of the first session of the newly constituted eighth Delhi Assembly.

The BJP has been alleging that the reports were withheld by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had announced last Thursday that the reports would be made public in the first session under the new government. The pending CAG audits include reviews of state finances, public health infrastructure, vehicular air pollution, liquor regulation and the functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation, among others.

The BJP had repeatedly demanded the release of these reports during the AAP’s tenure, even moving the court to direct the government to table them. The saffron party had accused the AAP government of deliberately stalling the audits to hide alleged corruption. The issue was a major point of contention during the assembly elections, with the BJP highlighting the delay as an attempt to suppress findings of financial mismanagement.

A key report under scrutiny pertains to the renovation of the chief minister’s official residence at 6, Flag Staff Road, termed as ‘Sheesh Mahal’ by the BJP. The audit has reportedly uncovered large-scale irregularities in the project’s planning, tendering and execution. Initially sanctioned at Rs 7.61 crore in 2020, the cost escalated to Rs 33.66 crore by April 2022 — an increase of 342 per cent. The BJP and the Congress have used these findings to target former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging misuse of public funds.

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Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had previously raised concerns over the non-disclosure of these reports and had urged the legislative assembly to convene a special session in December last year. However, the reports were not presented during the AAP’s tenure, leading to growing demands for their release.

BJP leader Vijender Gupta, who was a vocal critic of the AAP government’s handling of the CAG reports as the Leader of Opposition in the last assembly and had been marshalled out of the Assembly in the past for demanding their tabling, now presides as the Speaker. With Gupta in charge, the reports are expected to be placed before the House without further delay.

As the Delhi Assembly session progresses, the findings of these CAG reports are expected to trigger heated political exchanges between the ruling BJP and the AAP, potentially shaping the political discourse in the national capital in the coming months.