The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday accused the BJP-led Delhi government of rebranding the Mohalla Buses—originally launched by the AAP dispensation in October 2024—as the Delhi Electric Vehicle Initiative (DEVI) in an attempt to take undue credit.

At a press conference, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the 400 electric buses recently inaugurated under the ‘DEVI’ name were in fact the same vehicles that had been procured and trial-run by the AAP government in October 2024.

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“To steal credit, the BJP has re-inaugurated these buses under a new name, despite knowing that they had violated the 50 percent ‘Make in India’ requirement at the time of their arrival,” he said.

He questioned how the same buses, deemed non-compliant just months ago, were now suddenly operational on Delhi’s roads. “If the buses lacked the mandated local content certification in October, how are they compliant now? Were they retrofitted? Were components changed? Or did someone forge the necessary paperwork?” he asked.

Bharadwaj explained that the procurement process had been handled by Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a central government entity under the Ministry of Power. Although the project was funded by the Delhi government, the procurement was handed over to the Centre to avoid allegations of bias, he said.

Citing tender documents, he pointed out that the ‘Make in India’ clause—which mandates that 50 per cent of components be locally manufactured—was a qualifying criterion. “This condition was non-negotiable. The buses failed to meet it then. If they weren’t returned or retrofitted, how did they become road-worthy now under the BJP?” he asked.

Bharadwaj also criticized the BJP’s decision to hold a second inauguration ceremony for the same fleet, likening it to previous instances involving water tankers. “This is a blatant misuse of public funds for political optics,” he said.