New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) Hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday, BJP MLA Harish Khurana said that his party had earlier raised the issue of the “extent of corruption” during the Arvind Kejriwal government’s tenure.

The ED is conducting searches at 13 locations, in addition to Bharadwaj’s residence, in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the construction of hospitals in the national capital.

The search operation at Bharadwaj’s residence was underway.

Reacting to this, Khurana said, “Just like other corruption cases faced by the previous AAP government, now this (ED raids on Bharadwaj’s residence) is another wrongdoing which has come to light.

“Corruption was rampant in the previous Kejriwal government. Whether it is a matter of school rooms, or liquor, or hospital, corruption was prevalent,” he said.

He claimed that the BJP had raised this issue earlier.

“We had explained how huge corruption took place in the construction of the hospital. No work is being done on the ground, but bills were being paid,” he added.

Khurana also claimed that in every corruption case of the national capital, the members of the previous Kejriwal government were involved.

“Now, people from the Aam Aadmi Party will come and say that this is politically motivated. However, the question arises as to why AAP leaders are linked to every case of corruption. This shows that there is no one left who has not been duped by Arvind Kejriwal,” he said.

According to the sources, the matter is linked to alleged irregularities in several hospital projects in which there were accusations of large-scale financial mismanagement and embezzlement.

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) was the first to flag the alleged scam.

The ACB investigation revealed that in 2018-19, as many as 24 hospital projects were sanctioned in Delhi at an estimated cost of around Rs 5,500 crore.

These included 11 greenfield projects and 13 brownfield projects. However, despite approvals, the projects were subjected to unwarranted delays while costs escalated significantly, raising strong suspicions of corruption and financial misconduct.

The Intensive Care Unit hospital was expected to be finished in six months, but after three years, the project was still not completed. Even though Rs 800 crore was spent, only 50 per cent of the work has been completed.

The expenditure for the expansion of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital rose from Rs 488 crore to Rs 1,135 crore without any significant advancements.

The construction work was initiated at several locations without approval, and the contractors’ roles have raised suspicions.

The Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) has been awaiting implementation since 2016, amid claims of intentional postponement.

In addition to Bharadwaj, AAP leader Satyendar Jain is also being investigated in this case.

Bharadwaj, who earlier represented the Greater Kailash constituency in the Delhi Assembly, held important portfolios in the previous AAP government, including Health, Urban Development and Water.

–IANS

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