The Delhi Legislative Assembly is poised for a stormy four-day Winter Session starting January 5, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government set to table long-pending audit reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The spotlight will be on two contentious issues: the renovation of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official bungalow and the functioning of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) flagship Mohalla Clinics.
Session Agenda and Political Fireworks
Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta announced that the Winter Session will run from January 5 to January 8, 2025. He confirmed that CAG reports would be tabled but withheld specific details. The session will commence with an address by Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.
"All administrative and procedural arrangements are being finalised in advance, including coordination across Secretariat branches, and logistical support to facilitate uninterrupted conduct of business," Gupta stated on Friday. The tabling of these audits fulfills a key poll promise made by the BJP ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year.
Scrutiny on the 'Sheesh Mahal' Renovation
One of the most anticipated reports concerns the renovation of Bungalow Number 6 on Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines, the former official residence of Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP has repeatedly criticized the project, labeling it a 'Sheesh Mahal' or glass palace, and alleging exorbitant expenditure.
According to a previous report by The Indian Express, the CAG audit found a significant escalation in the renovation cost. The project, handled by the Public Works Department (PWD), saw costs balloon from preliminary estimates. Initial estimates stood at Rs 7.91 crore, but the work was awarded at Rs 8.62 crore in 2020. Upon completion in 2022, the final expenditure had skyrocketed to Rs 33.66 crore, triggering allegations of financial irregularities.
Audit of AAP's Mohalla Clinics and Previous Reports
The second major report slated for tabling is the audit of the AAP government's Mohalla Clinics, a cornerstone of its public health policy. The CAG has submitted nearly a dozen audit reports to the Lieutenant Governor in recent years, but the previous AAP administration had not presented them in the Assembly, leading to accusations of opacity from the opposition BJP.
Since coming to power in February, the BJP government has systematically tabled several critical CAG reports. These have covered topics like the mounting losses of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped liquor policy, and rising expenditures on subsidies. Each report has been used by the ruling party to highlight what it calls governance lapses under the previous AAP regime.
The upcoming session is expected to feature heated debates as the AAP defends its record against the findings presented in these official audits. The discussion around the bungalow renovation and the community health clinics is likely to dominate the political discourse in the capital, setting the tone for future confrontations between the two rival parties.
