Arvind Kejriwal & Corruption Have Become Synonyms: BJP Slams Delhi CM


Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and corruption have become synonymous, according to BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia, who targeted AAP for ‘irregularities’ in DTC bus purchase on Sunday.

The national spokesperson for the BJP, Gaurav Bhatia, claimed each department of the AAP government is engaged in corrupt practises, with “contracts and tenders being tailored-made to benefit the friends of Kejriwal,” during a press conference on the alleged irregularities in the purchase of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation.

“How can you claim to be hardcore honest? People recognised you as a hardcore corrupt individual “, he stated adding that tenders in Delhi are prepared by allies of the Kejriwal administration.

“Arvind Kejriwal has no right to remain in the chair of chief minister,” he added, PTI reported.

“First, it was the excise policy, now there are irregularities in the purchase of buses… Kejriwal and corruption have become synonymous,” he said. 

Earlier today, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena had approved the CBI inquiry into suspected irregularities in the acquisition of buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). 

LG pushed a complaint with the CBI on suspected irregularities in the Delhi Transport Corporation’s procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses (DTC).

On June 9, the Chief Secretary of the Delhi Transport Corporation filed the complaint.

According to the complaint, the Minister of Transport, Kailash Gahlot, was appointed as the Chairman of the Committee for tendering and purchase of buses by DTC in a “pre-mediated way.”

“Irregularities in the bid of July 2019 for procurement of 1000 low floor BS-IV and BS-VI buses and a bid of March 2020 for purchase and annual maintenance contract of low floor BS-VI buses,” the complaint was quoted by ANI in its report.

On July 11, the complaint was referred to the Chief Secretary for collecting comments from the relevant ministries of the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) and proposing a course of action.

As a result, the report verified the assertions stated in the complaint. The same inconsistencies were clearly highlighted in a report by the Deputy Commissioner, DTC.

Following a thorough analysis of the papers by DTC, several inconsistencies were discovered.

“The DTC had floated the tender with RFP No CGM/SBU/924/2019/AC for procurement of 1000 buses and it was a single tender for supply of 1000 BS-IV or latest buses. In the pre-bid, the quantity of 1000 buses was bifurcated into 400 BS-IV buses and 600 BS-VI buses but the tender still remained one only and the bidders could have made the bid for the entire quantity of these buses of both types,” the discrepancy in the document was quoted by ANI in its report. 

Another irregularity discovered was M/s TATA Motors Ltd’s offer for just 600 buses. Simultaneously, JBM submitted a proposal for 1000 buses (400 BS-IV and 600 BS-VI) that was higher than Tata Motors’. As a result, JBM became the sole bidder, and the proposal should have been rejected and a new tender launched by the Tender Committee.

However, the bidding consultant (DIMTS) and the DTC Tender Committee misjudged the financial proposals. The Committee approved M/S TATA Motors Ltd’s offer for 600 BS-VI buses.

The Chief Secretary’s report also states unequivocally that the Committee chaired by OP Aggrawal, IAS (Retd.) to investigate charges of irregularities and corruption in the procurement of buses in June 2021, in its report submitted in August 2021, clearly indicted the AAP government for “procedural deviations in the entire tendering and procurement procedure.”

(With Inputs From Agencies)