Training guns on Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi unit of the BJP questioned the “sudden” rise in his income in 2020-21 while questioning his “low income” in the following years.
At a press conference, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said the former chief minister’s income does not “align” with what he had declared in his election affidavit.
“It is hard for Delhiites to believe that a retired officer, who served as chief minister and MLA, could have an average income of merely Rs 2.5 lakh… Before the February 2023 pay hike, Delhi’s chief minister received Rs 72,000 per month, which rose to Rs 1.70 lakh per month after the hike… Kejriwal’s declared income from 2013-14 to 2024-25 in his affidavit dated January 15, 2025, does not align with these figures,” he said.
As per the affidavit, Kejriwal’s total income was declared at Rs 7.21 lakh in 2023-24.
Sachdeva added that Kejriwal’s income in 2020-21 “raised the most significant questions”. “He declared a 40-fold increase, amounting to Rs 44.99 lakh during a time when incomes plummeted globally due to Covid19… The next fiscal year, 2021-22, saw Kejriwal’s income drop by 40 times to Rs 1.62 lakh and in 2022-23, despite the CM salary hike, his income remained almost stagnant… In 2023-24, his income rose six-fold to Rs 7.21lakh,” Sachdeva said.
The AAP, in a statement, however, raised questions about the income of Kejriwal’s competitor from the New Delhi Assembly seats, Parvesh Verma.
“Arvind Kejriwal is a three-time chief minister and former IRS officer, who does not own a personal house in Delhi or even a car. This a testament to his simplicity and commitment to public service. He has Rs 50,000 in cash and barely Rs 3 lakh in the bank. Parvesh Verma’s total wealth is Rs 89 crore —about 27 times more than Arvind Kejriwal’s. He owns luxury cars. His family’s assets are worth over Rs 100 crore. His asset value increased by 2,600% in 5 years. The BJP must reveal the sources behind the massive surge in his wealth,” the party said in a statement.
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