War of words between BJP-AAP over revised phone reimbursements for ministers
In an office memo issued on July 9, the General Administration Department (GAD) of Delhi government revised ceilings for the cost of mobile handsets and monthly charges payable to service providers.
New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) The ruling BJP and opposition AAP indulged in a war of words over enhanced reimbursements of the Delhi government for mobile phones of the chief minister and the ministers.
The mobile handset will not ordinarily be replaced within a period of two years from the date of its purchase. However, if at any point in time, the probable cost of repairs exceeds 50 per cent of the total initial cost of the mobile set, replacement will be allowed on a case-by-case basis, the memo said.
Officials said that the reimbursement amounts for the mobile phone sets were revised in 2013. The upper ceiling of mobile phones was around Rs 45-50,000.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj took a dig at the BJP government and congratulated the chief minister and the ministers. AAP MLA Anil Jha, in a press conference, accused the BJP of being 'anti-poor' and celebrating by gifting expensive mobile phones to the minister.
He said that the BJP, despite presenting an annual budget of Rs 1 lakh crore this year, has failed to deliver on its promises of providing Rs 2,500 to women, laptops to girl students, or jobs for youth.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor hit back at AAP, saying even MCD councillors and MLAs use high-end phones because they use them for storing records and doing official work.
He asked Jha if he had any objection to the cost of the chief minister and ministers' mobile phones, then he should also say something about the vehicles purchased with Rs 1.43 crore during 2015-2022, for the then chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal.
Kapoor said AAP leaders should make political statements while maintaining dignity. PTI VIT HIG
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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