New Delhi [India], March 3: BJP MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah on Monday escalated the political tensions in Delhi after a CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report flagged the mismanagement of public health services under the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Marwah directly held Delhi’s former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responsible for the failures and corruption in various departments, claiming that if Kejriwal is jailed, he will not get bail.
“Fourteen CAG reports were due, and only two have been presented. Arvind Kejriwal has left no department free from corruption. I will hold him directly responsible for 80 percent of the deaths during COVID-19. I claim that if he goes to jail this time, he will not get bail,” Marwah told ANI, further intensifying the ongoing political controversy.
BJP MLA Shikha Rai also criticized the AAP-led government’s handling of healthcare, stating that the findings in the CAG report reflected a grim reality of the national capital’s health infrastructure. “The CAG report on health should and will be discussed, as each paragraph shows how bad the healthcare system is in Delhi. Treatment that should have been available to people under the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) category was not provided, and there was no monitoring of private hospitals,” Rai said.
On February 28, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tabled the CAG Report on the Performance Audit of ‘Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services’ in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. The report outlined severe lapses, including underutilisation of funds, delays in project execution, shortage of staff, and inadequate drug supply during the AAP government’s tenure.
The report also highlighted how the Delhi government mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic, using only Rs 582.84 crore out of the Rs 787.91 crore allocated by the central government. Furthermore, it revealed serious shortcomings in the Mohalla Clinic scheme, noting the “dire status” of these clinics between 2016-17 and 2021-22.
Additionally, Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Vijender Gupta, on February 28, decided to send the CAG’s report on the Excise Policy to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Gupta demanded that the PAC provide a final report within three months, noting the grave irregularities found in the implementation of the excise policy by the AAP government.
The series of CAG reports has sparked significant political turmoil, with the AAP and BJP trading accusations. Nearly all AAP MLAs, except for one, were suspended for three days after protesting against the ruling party during the Assembly sessions.