Kejriwal, Sisodia spent beyond limit to buy high-end phones: Sood
Arvind Kejriwal
and his deputy Manish Sisodia spent lakhs of rupees on expensive mobile phones during AAP's two terms in office.
He alleged that despite Delhi govt's fixed ceiling of Rs 50,000 for CM and Rs 45,000 for other ministers, the then AAP ministers exerted undue pressure on officials to clear bills for high-end phones that exceeded the sanctioned limit.
The statement comes days after AAP Delhi convener Saurabh Bharadwaj accused BJP-led Delhi govt of purchasing "luxury phones worth lakhs" for its ministers. According to an internal order, the general administration department recently revised the ceiling, raising it to Rs 1.5 lakh for the chief minister and Rs 1.25 lakh for other ministers.
Officials said this was the first revision of the cap since 2013.
AAP, however, maintained on Thursday that BJP was spending public's money on luxury phones for CM and ministers. "BJP is using false allegations of corruption as a smokescreen to shut down AAP govt's public welfare policies," it stated.
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Sood alleged that AAP ministers had bought premium devices and subsequently sought ex post facto approval. "Arvind Kejriwal bought four mobile phones between 2015 and 2022, all of which exceeded the Rs 50,000 ceiling.
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His first phone was an iPhone 6s Plus, purchased in Dec 2015 for Rs 81,000; the second was an iPhone 7 Plus bought in Sept 2017 for Rs 69,000; the third was an iPhone 12 Pro Max in Dec 2020 for Rs 1,39,900; and the fourth was an iPhone 13 Pro Max in July 2022 at Rs 1,63,900," Sood claimed.
He added that Sisodia bought five phones while in office, one each in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, spending a total of Rs 5.24 lakh. All were high-end models ranging between Rs 81,000 and Rs 1,63,900, though his authorised limit was Rs 45,000 per phone.
Sood alleged that former CM Atishi bought a Rs 1.28-lakh phone in May 2023 and split the bill into two parts, Rs 45,000 and Rs 83,000, to bypass detection. Similarly, then minister Bharadwaj's purchase of a Rs 61,000 phone in the same month was not fully reimbursed, he received only Rs 45,000.
The minister noted that a govt official handling such purchases even flagged in an internal note that the expenditure on the CM's iPhone was "on the higher side" and questioned whether the necessary relaxation was sought for exceeding the entitlement.
Sood acknowledged that mobile phones were essential for public servants, calling them "essentially a mobile office", but stressed that "rules, regulations and laws exist and must not be broken".
BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor added that, as per govt rules, the phones for the chief minister and ministers are procured by the general administration department and must be returned after they leave office. "According to available information, most of these phones were not returned," he alleged.
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