NEW DELHI: Amid allegations and counter allegations over the purchase of high-end mobile phones, Delhi Minister Ashish Sood said that the previous AAP government purchased government mobile phones more than the limit.
Sood claimed that in 2013, the chief minister was allowed to get a mobile phone worth Rs 50,000 and the ministers Rs 45,000. He claimed that the AAP leaders had put pressure on the government to pay for the phones.
Earlier, the AAP had alleged that the BJP government had approved the purchase of high-end mobile phones worth Rs 1.50–1.25 lakh each for the chief minister and cabinet ministers. AAP had said that if they (BJP) can approve expensive phones overnight, why not form a committee to debate which minister deserves which phone, how much the bill should be, and what is ‘appropriate’ for the CM? Why are committees only reserved for delaying public welfare?”
To counter the allegation, Sood on Thursday gave a detailed account of the expensive phones purchased by four senior leaders of the previous government — Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Atishi Marlena, and Saurabh Bharadwaj.
He stated that for a public representative, a mobile phone is a necessity — it’s essentially a mobile office. However, there must also be laws in place. He explained that Arvind Kejriwal took four mobile phones from the Delhi government between 2015 and 2022. The first phone was an iPhone 6s Plus, costing Rs 81,000 — despite the purchase limit being Rs 50,000. The second phone, an iPhone 7 Plus, was taken on September 12, 2017, at a cost of Rs 69,000. The third, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, was purchased on December 4, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, for Rs 1,39,900. The fourth, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, was taken on July 13, 2022, costing Rs 1,63,900. Despite the official limit being Rs 50,000, these phones significantly exceeded that capping limit.
The minister pointed out that the then-government officer concerned, in an official note, acknowledged that “the amount spent on the iPhone is on the higher side.” Further, he noted that the chief minister’s office wrote letters regarding these phones stating, “The amount spent is on the higher side of the prescribed limit for the purchase of a phone for the CM. It is believed that relaxation has been sought beyond the prescribed limit towards the purchase of a phone.” Essentially, requests were made to relax the Rs 50,000 purchase limit in order to approve these high-end phone purchases.