Classroom construction scam: AAP terms ACB probe a case of political vendetta

The AAP on Wednesday termed the classroom construction scam probe as a politically motivated attempt to target its senior leaders, while the BJP demanded that not only former ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain but also former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal be brought under the scanner.

Addressing a press conference, AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said the FIR lodged by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) was a move to “pressurise and scare” the party’s Punjab in-charges ahead of elections.

“The way cases are being registered against Sisodia and other leaders, I feel there could soon be cases for occupying the minister’s seat or for forgetting to put a comma or full stop in a document,” said Dhanda, calling the probe a “political” conspiracy.

He alleged that the BJP government, rather than focusing on governance, was repeatedly using investigative agencies to harass AAP leaders. “It cannot be a coincidence that a case was filed against Durgesh Pathak when he became co-incharge of Gujarat, and now Sisodia and Jain, who are Punjab in-charges, are being targeted,” Dhanda said.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the ACB action marked a “decisive moment” in exposing corruption during the AAP regime. He said the FIR followed years of complaints and preliminary findings of irregularities in the construction of over 12,000 classrooms in Delhi government schools.

He alleged that the classrooms were built at nearly five times the estimated cost — Rs 24.86 lakh per unit against a CPWD benchmark of around Rs 5 lakh. “Contracts were awarded to AAP-linked contractors without proper tendering, and rates meant for permanent structures were misused for semi-permanent ones,” Sachdeva said.

The BJP cited further findings by the Chief Technical Examiner and Vigilance Commission, claiming that work was delayed, costs escalated up to 90 per cent, and a Rs 42.5 crore order was issued without tender. Sachdeva demanded that the probe be expanded to include former CM Kejriwal’s alleged role in the matter.

He reiterated that arrests should follow soon and that Delhi’s citizens deserved answers for the alleged misuse of public funds.

Delhi