Repay Rs 163 crore spent on ads within 10 days: Delhi govt notice to AAP

The Delhi government’s Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) has served a notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, asking his party to repay over Rs 163 crore spent on advertisements. The publicity wing said the spending was in violation of Supreme Court guidelines.

“The assessed amount of Rs 97,14,69,137 was required to be reimbursed to the state exchequer. After reassessment in the financial year 2022-2023, the updated amount comes to Rs 106,42,26,121,” R Alice Vaz, secretary, Information & Publicity, wrote to Kejriwal, who is also the Delhi Chief Minister.

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The amount to be repaid to the state exchequer is over Rs 99.31 crore. Plus there is a penal interest of more than Rs 64.30 crore, she wrote. The AAP also needs to pay over Rs 7.11 crore to other advertising agencies, she stated.

“Now, therefore, a final opportunity is hereby given to reimburse the amount…within 10 days of issuing of this notice, failing which further necessary action as per law will be taken in this matter,” she wrote.

Sisodia slams BJP

The move has stirred a political row between the AAP and the BJP, with AAP’s national secretary Pankaj Gupta sending a memo to Vaz, asking for copies of the advertisements for which the department wanted compensation.

“The BJP has, over the past seven years, been unconstitutionally exercising control over the city’s bureaucracy through the LG. Today, Alice Vaz, an IAS officer, is threatening Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to pay Rs 163 crore under pressure from the BJP,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia insinuated.

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“Instead of ensuring quality work for the betterment of the citizens of Delhi, the BJP is using the city’s bureaucracy to target AAP government ministers. All this is being done by practising unconstitutional control over officers. The BJP is forcing bureaucrats to write letters against the Chief Minister through its control over them,” he further alleged.

Sisodia further added that AAP wants bureaucrats to work for citizens, but the BJP “wants them only to target ministers so that they don’t do their work.”

Complaint filed in 2016

In 2016, Ajay Maken of the Congress had filed a complaint alleging excess expenditure on advertisements besides violation of Supreme Court guidelines by the Delhi government that year. In its ruling, the SC told the Delhi government to get the money reimbursed to the state exchequer from the AAP.

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Following this, AAP filed a review petition, which was subsequently dismissed. The AAP had also petitioned the Delhi High Court to intervene, but was unable to get a stay order.

Sources in Raj Niwas, the Delhi LG’s official residence, said over Rs 97 crore was allegedly spent on advertisements and dues worth Rs 54 crore were pending.

(With agency inputs)