New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS): Demanding a probe by the Anti-Corruption Branch, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Thursday accused the AAP government and party leader Arvind Kejriwal of being involved in a Rs 250 crore scam, claiming that funds meant for providing shelter to the homeless during winter were misused.
The BJP Delhi chief alleged the presence of ghost employees on the rolls of NGOs engaged by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to serve the homeless at shelters.
“We demand an investigation into the roles of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the concerned ministers, MLAs, DUSIB officials, and all others involved,” he said.
Sachdeva said that according to the DUSIB's regulations, each shelter home is allocated salaries for 5 to 6 caretaking staff, depending on capacity, which is paid to contractor NGOs.
"However, a BJP team investigation uncovered significant fraud in this system. In each shelter, payments are made for 5-6 caretakers, while only 2 are actually present. The BJP team’s investigation found 3-4 ghost employees in every shelter,” he said.
Advocate Himanshu Sethi, the complainant in this matter, said DUSIB is a department of the Delhi government responsible for assisting the poor and helpless by providing them with shelter homes, however, the AAP government perpetrated corruption even in this noble humanitarian service.
The Delhi BJP President stated that no work occurs in Arvind Kejriwal or Atithi’s government without brokerage, bribery, or commission.
"The BJP's legal team discovered that eight major NGOs are contracted for shelter home maintenance in Delhi. Most shelters employ only 2-3 workers, yet salaries for 5-6 are disbursed," he alleged.
Further investigation revealed that the same staff names were registered across different shelter homes, with identical Aadhaar numbers and bank accounts, he alleged, demanding a probe.
"Whether it's the shelter at Delhi Gate, Lahori Gate, Turkman Gate, or Mangolpuri, a single Aadhaar card is being used to draw 3-5 salaries,” he said.
“This entire matter involves an alleged scam of approximately Rs 250 crore. We have requested an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and have also filed a complaint with the Lokayukta.
In a separate matter, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor criticised Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj who as part of their government's annual drama, stood alongside the Mayor of Cambridge, England, and praised the Delhi government's education model while self-congratulating the government.
The Mayor of Cambridge neither issued any statement nor posted on social media any post praising the Delhi government.
The Delhi BJP spokesperson stated that Delhi residents expect that Minister Bharadwaj must have also informed the Cambridge Mayor that 75 per cent of Delhi government schools lack facilities for teaching Science and Commerce to underprivileged children.