The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government is set to table the controversial 14 pending Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reports in the Delhi Assembly on February 25. As the Delhi Assembly session progresses, the findings of these CAG reports are expected to trigger heated political exchanges between the ruling BJP and the AAP, potentially shaping the political discourse in the national capital in the coming days.
The CAG reports which manifest the previous AAP government’s performance created headlines during and before the Delhi Assembly elections. During the poll campaigns, the saffron party alleged that the reports were withheld by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration to hide the AAP government's corruption.
What do the CAG reports contain?
The pending CAG audits include reviews of state finances, public health infrastructure, vehicular air pollution, liquor regulation and the functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation, among others.
Why is the controversy around CAG reports?
The issue was a major point of contention during the assembly elections, with the BJP highlighting the delay as an attempt to suppress findings of financial mismanagement. The saffron party had accused the AAP government of deliberately stalling the audits to hide alleged corruption.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had previously raised concerns over the non-disclosure of these reports and had urged the legislative assembly to convene a special session in December last year.
However, the reports were not presented during the AAP’s tenure, leading to growing demands for their release.
BJP leader Vijender Gupta, who was a vocal critic of the AAP government’s handling of the CAG reports as the Leader of Opposition in the last assembly and had been marshalled out of the Assembly in the past for demanding their tabling, now presides as the Speaker.
An attempt by the AAP government to hide irregularities?
A key report under scrutiny pertains to the renovation of the chief minister’s official residence - also coined as 'Sheesh Mahal' by the BJP - at 6, Flag Staff Road. The audit has reportedly uncovered large-scale irregularities in the project’s planning, tendering and execution. Initially sanctioned at Rs 7.61 crore in 2020, the cost escalated to Rs 33.66 crore by April 2022 — an increase of 342 per cent. The BJP and the Congress have used these findings to target former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging misuse of public funds.
What are the 14 pending CAG reports?
- 1. Performance Audit on Liquor Supply in Delhi.
- 2. Performance Audit of Prevention and Mitigation of Vehicular Air Pollution in Delhi for the year ended March 31, 2021.
- 3. Performance Audit of Children in Need of Care and Protection for the year ended March 31, 2021.
- 4. State Finances Audit Report for the year ended March 2021.
- 5. Revenue, Economic, Social and General Sectors and PSUs for the years ended March 31 2020 and 2021.
- 6. State Finances Audit Report for the year ended March 2022.
- 7. State Finances Audit Report for the year ended March 2023.
- 8. Performance Audit on Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services.
- 9. Performance Audit Report of Comptroller & Auditor General of India on "Functioning of Delhi Transport Corporation
- 10. Performance Audit Report of Comptroller & Auditor General of India for the year ending on March 31, 2022.
- 11. Finance Accounts of 2021-22.
- 12. Appropriation Accounts of 2021-22.
- 13. Finance Accounts 2022-23.
- 14. Appropriation Accounts 2022-23.
(With PTI inputs)