The ongoing ‘high-end smartphones’ war between the ruling BJP government and Aam Aadmi Party gained momentum after Delhi Minister Ashish Sood accused AAP leaders of adopting double standards and wasting funds meant for public cause during the latter’s tenure.
Recently, the Delhi General Administration Department issued a directive updating the mobile phone expenditure limits for officials, the first revision in over a decade. Under the new rule, the Chief Minister is permitted to spend up to Rs 1.5 lakh, while the cabinet ministers can allocate up to Rs 1.25 lakh for mobile devices. The directive also indicates that replacements of the phones are not allowed within two years unless the cost of repairs exceeds 50 percent of the device’s original value.
Speaking to the media here on Thursday, Sood presented a list of smartphones purchased by AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers during their rule in the national capital.
“We don’t want to dig into these matters, but when someone tries to defame our government by grabbing us by the neck, we will expose their misdeeds. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Arvind Kejriwal – the same man who used to say he and his team left good jobs to serve the nation – purchased phones worth Rs 1.8 lakh each. Such expensive phones! And now they are trying to tarnish our government’s image,” Sood said.
Stating that Kejriwal purchased four high-end smartphones and Apple products during his tenure as Chief Minister, spending lakhs, Sood said that Manish Sisodia, Atishi, and Saurabh Bhardwaj also upgraded iPhones every year.
“The permissible limit for phones was Rs 50,000 for the CM and Rs 45,000 for ministers, yet they kept asking for post-facto approvals and an increase in spending limits every year. Where are all those phones now? Ask Manish Sisodia,” he said.
“Phones are essential tools for governance. We get emails, WhatsApp complaints, and citizens reach out directly. It’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity, but AAP’s repeated device upgrades were extravagant. They commit the act, and then play victim. They evolved in only one thing–corruption,” he added.