AAP-BJP spar over ‘CAG report’ on advertisement spending

The Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP clashed in the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday over a “CAG report” that purportedly indicted the Kejriwal administration on its alleged high spending on advertisements.

Demanding tabling of this “CAG report,” the BJP on Wednesday launched a full-blown attack on the AAP government and sought dissolution of the Delhi Assembly. Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta alleged that the report was very critical of the Kejriwal government.

However, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told the Assembly that the “report” had not reached the city government as yet. The deputy CM said he had no knowledge of such a report and suggested the BJP-led Centre was trying to “falsely implicate” the AAP government.

“I don’t have any knowledge about it. Whenever we get any report, we will table it,” Mr Sisodia said. Taking a jibe at the Leader of Opposition, he said if any such report has been prepared on the “instructions” of the BJP-led Centre, then Mr Gupta himself should present it in the House.

Attacking the BJP, ruling party MLA Alka Lamba demanded that the matter be referred to the privileges committee as Mr Gupta had misled the entire House. Mr Gupta accused the AAP of “unconstitutionally hiding” the purported CAG report, “which exposes wastage of public money” on advertisements and demanded the Assembly be “dissolved” over the issue. An angry Mr Gupta started shouting slogans, chanting “CAG ki report (CAG’s report)” for a few minutes. He demanded the dissolution of the Assembly before staging a walkout along with another BJP MLA, Jagdish Pradhan. Mr Gupta also had a heated argument with AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, who at one point allegedly asked Assembly officials to switch off the microphone at the BJP MLA’s desk. Mr Gupta hit back, saying Mr Khan was “behaving like the Speaker.” Referring to Mr Gupta’s demand that the Assembly be dissolved, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said, “How are you saying that this Assembly should be dissolved If your government at the Centre, will let you say anything!” He said Mr Gupta was not raising the issue under the appropriate section.

Over 85 per cent of expenditure incurred in one publicity campaign, amounting to Rs 33.4 crore, pertained to adverts released outside Delhi, Mr Gupta later told reporters, citing the “CAG report.”

He said the CAG had observed that instead of issuing the ads in the name of “Delhi government,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s dispensation had issued the advertisements in the name of “AAP government.” “It is against the fundamental principles governing the expenditure from the Public Fund. It also violates the guidelines approved by the apex court,” Mr Gupta added.

According to the BJP, the AAP government’s spending on the advertisements went up from Rs 27.43 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 86.78 crore in 2015-16.