As large parts of the capital drown in monsoon water, face erratic electricity supply, and struggle for clean drinking water, the BJP government in Delhi appears more focused on luxury than governance. AAP MLA Anil Jha on Thursday exposed how the BJP government has floated a ₹1 crore tender to refurbish Minister Kapil Mishra’s ‘Rang Mahal’ (bungalow) — replacing everything from air conditioners to toilets, fans, curtains, and windows. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta quietly withdrew a ₹60 lakh renovation tender for her “Maya Mahal” — only to reportedly plan a grander ₹5–7 crore makeover.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, senior AAP leader and MLA Anil Jha said that in just five months since returning to power after 27 years, the BJP has unmasked its real face—one that is deeply removed from its earlier claims of simplicity and service to the poor.
“BJP used to claim it stood for integrity and was committed to uplifting the most marginalized. But now it is focused on building ‘Maya Mahals’ and ‘Rang Mahals’ for its ministers,” Anil Jha said. “When they were in Opposition, they cried hoarse that every rupee must be spent on Delhi’s people. But now they are the ones misusing public money to renovate luxury bungalows.”
He revealed that after the controversial ₹60 lakh tender for the renovation of a “Maya Mahal” intended for the Chief Minister was scrapped under public pressure, another tender worth nearly ₹1 crore was issued to refurbish the bungalow at 9, Sham Nath Marg—allocated to BJP leader Kapil Mishra. The renovation includes remote-controlled fans, air-conditioned toilets with television screens, newspaper stands, and other extravagant amenities.
“Plans for the ‘Maya Mahal’ are being redrawn inside this new ‘Rang Mahal’. If the officers devising these secret plans need to use the toilet, they shouldn’t sweat—that’s why ACs are being installed even in bathrooms,” he said mockingly.
Anil Jha questioned the priorities of the BJP government. “The Chief Minister might now want to spend ₹5–7 crore on her own bungalow because Kapil Mishra’s costs have crossed ₹1 crore. They are obsessed with luxury renovations, but have no plan to deliver ₹2,500 monthly support to Delhi’s women, as promised.”
Condemning the BJP’s hypocrisy, Anil Jha said, “These are the same leaders who once claimed they would run the government from whatever office was available. Today, the Chief Minister refuses to sit in the renovated office created by the previous government. BJP now wants to convert those offices into hotels. Yet they themselves are building grander palaces than ever before.”
He said the BJP, which promised to uphold public values and probity, has instead failed even basic governance tests. “Wednesday’s rain in Delhi exposed the BJP’s tall claims on preparedness and transparency. In just five months, it is evident they govern not for the people, but for the capitalists.”
Anil Jha also lashed out at the BJP’s attack on pensions, calling it a deliberate ploy to hurt the poor. “They are targeting 60,000 to 80,000 pensioners, claiming they’re fake. The truth is that the BJP is trying to snatch pensions from destitute women. Their ministers ride in convoys of 14 cars, build palaces for themselves, while demolishing jhuggis and displacing the poor.”
He pointed out that that BJP is targeting jhuggis along caste, religious and economic lines using bulldozers, instead of working for upliftment. “This is not governance. It’s oppression.”
Anil Jha concluded by reiterating AAP’s stand: “We have always prioritised education, electricity, and welfare of women and the poor. The BJP is doing the opposite. Their focus is on palatial luxury while Delhi’s poor are left to suffer. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemns this betrayal of public trust.”
