The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has come down heavily on the BJP-led Delhi government for authorising the purchase of luxury mobile phones for the Chief Minister and his cabinet, charging it with celebrating extravagance while the public suffers. AAP MLA Anil Jha condemned the move, saying, “This is a government that celebrates festivals in a famine. After Maya Mahal and Rang Mahal, they now want to blow up lakhs of taxpayers’ money on the latest phones—despite already having official telephone access.”
Addressing a press conference on Monday, senior AAP leader and MLA Anil Jha sharply criticised the BJP-led Delhi government for prioritising extravagance over public welfare. “When a party comes to power, the intoxication of authority slowly pulls it away from its core values. The way BJP ministers and the Chief Minister are functioning in Delhi clearly shows how power has clouded their judgment. It is nothing short of celebrating a festival during a famine,” Anil Jha said.
The AAP MLA pointed out the BJP government’s failure to fulfil even its most basic promises. “They claim to have presented a ₹1 lakh crore budget, but they haven’t given a single rupee to Delhi’s women as part of the promised ₹2,500 monthly support. Pensions for senior citizens have been discontinued. Around 80,000 women have been declared ineligible and stripped of their pensions. Support for destitute women and widows has also been cancelled on the pretext that it was ‘wrongly allocated’.”
Highlighting worsening conditions in poor neighbourhoods, Anil Jha said, “Bulldozers are rolling over the homes of the poor. Demolition notices have been served in unauthorised colonies, spreading fear and uncertainty. Rumours are rife, and BJP leaders themselves are saying more demolitions are coming. Yet the government is busy celebrating in the middle of this drought.”
He further added, “The government promised laptops to Class 12 girls—none have been distributed. Auto drivers were promised financial support—nothing has been delivered. The pledge to create 50,000 jobs remains unfulfilled. DTC employees are still waiting for the promises made to them. Engineers working on contract in the MCD for 20 years have not been regularised.”
Anil Jha condemned the government’s skewed priorities: “The BJP has fulfilled promises it never made to the people—like building luxury palaces. ‘Maya Mahal’ and ‘Rang Mahal’ are under construction, and over ₹1 crore is being spent on the latter’s renovation. Now, in a fresh order, the BJP government says the CM cannot view video clips properly on her current phone and hence must be provided with the latest mobile phone. Ministers will also get upgraded phones. Thousands of calls will be free, offices will be fully furnished, and the CM already has more than 140 staff members. She also holds portfolios such as Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, and uses around 14 security guards and vehicles.”
Anil Jha noted that when questioned about this wasteful expenditure, BJP leaders like Manjinder Singh Sirsa—“a semi-educated accidental minister”—claim that the term Maya Mahal is Mughal-inspired. “Maya Mahal is a purely Indian and Hindi term,” Anil Jha asserted. “But the official government order clearly states that the CM is entitled to phones worth ₹1.25 to ₹1.5 lakh and can replace them every two years. BJP claims to follow RSS ideology—does RSS approve of this vulgar materialism? Is a ₹1.5 lakh phone, remote-controlled fans, latest commodes, and personal luxuries the BJP’s definition of public service?”
The AAP MLA reminded the media that just ten months ago, these same BJP leaders were accusing others of misusing public funds. “Today, the people’s needs are at the bottom of the list. In half of Delhi’s unauthorised colonies, residents are barely getting water for two hours every four days. Meanwhile, the CM’s department issues circulars about giving advance payments for new mobile phones to ministers. People living in homes for 40 years have no housing guarantee. The government has failed 95% of its ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan’ promise. We’re forced to approach the High Court just to get basic school operations running. Schools built during the last government don’t have electricity, water, or even functioning admission systems.”
Anil Jha concluded by demanding, on behalf of the AAP, that “Before purchasing Android or Apple phones, the BJP government must first give ₹2,500 to Delhi’s women, distribute promised laptops to schoolchildren, ensure water in unauthorised colonies, and meet the basic needs of the education sector. If funds can be released for mobile phones from a ₹1 lakh crore budget, then why are the promises made to the people being ignored? It feels like they’re here to satisfy their 27-year hunger for power—not to govern.”
