AAP claims BJP MPs in Delhi failed to use 66% of funds; spent almost all amount sanctioned, says saffron party

New Delhi: The seven outgoing Lok Sabha MPs of the BJP failed to use 66 per cent of the funds meant for development works in the constituency, the AAP on Monday alleged ahead of the parliamentary polls later this week.

The MPLAD portal, however, showed that the MPs have spent almost the entire amount that was released by the Centre.

AAP leader Jasmine Shah claimed that as per data from Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, all the seven MPs had received Rs 124 crore for five years.

Out of which, Harsh Vardhan spent Rs 7.5 crore; Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwari, Ramesh Bidhuri and Meenakshi Lekhi spent Rs 7 crore each and Pravesh Verma and Hans Raj Hans spent Rs 5 crore each, Shah claimed.

"The BJP MPs could not utilise Rs 81 crores out of the Rs 124 crores that could have been used for installing CCTVs, maintaining law and order, making roads and drainage systems," he said.

The AAP leader further claimed that BJP MPs spent only 50 per cent of total budget in Gujarat, 43 per cent in Rajasthan and 46 per cent in Haryana.

The official portal of MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund, however, showed that the amount released under the scheme to the MPs was far less than their entitlement.

The MPs have recommended works that was worth far more than the amount they were entitled to, and they managed to spend almost the entire amount that was released by the Centre, the MPLAD portal showed.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said before questioning the BJP MPs on the utilisation of development funds, AAP should also look at the data of their own Rajya Sabha MPs.

He said the money that remains unspent is always compared with the funds sanctioned by the Government of India and the BJP MPs managed to spend nearly the entire amount released by the Centre.

However, Shah alleged that BJP MPs did not do any work in Delhi which is why six out of seven of them were denied a ticket for re-election.

Even after two months of announcement of elections instead of giving an account of the work done by its MPs, the BJP is 'misleading' the people by raising matters on 'Hindu-Muslim' and 'mangalsutra', the AAP leader said.

Only the AAP does useful work in the country, Shah said and appealed to voters in Delhi to support the party in the elections. All seven constituencies on Delhi will go to polls on May 25.