Delhi’s political landscape has dramatically shifted, steering away from the Aam Aadmi Party's earlier dominance. Recall the 2014-15 period, when Arvind Kejriwal swept to power with a significant majority. Back then, Kejriwal was relentless in his criticism of former CM Sheila Dikshit, leveraging the CAG report to demand her arrest over corruption allegations.
Now, in 2025, a similar CAG report brings challenges for the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal. This CAG report is set to be presented in the Delhi Assembly, spotlighting alleged irregularities in the renovation of the Chief Minister's residence and neighborhood clinics.
The BJP government in Delhi is using this report to critique the AAP government and Arvind Kejriwal. It's a full-circle moment as things unravel based on similar evidence once used against others.
Here, we revisit how, from 2013-14 to 2015, Kejriwal and the AAP targeted Congress and Sheila Dikshit, citing the CAG as their cornerstone of evidence.
Commonwealth Games Scandal Investigation
In the 2013-14 Delhi Assembly elections, Arvind Kejriwal alleged massive corruption in the 2010 Commonwealth Games under Sheila Dikshit's administration, referencing the CAG report which noted discrepancies in a ₹90 crore street lighting project.
Based on this, Kejriwal directed the Delhi government's ACB to file an FIR against Sheila Dikshit.
Delhi's then Law Minister, Somnath Bharti, stated that several projects related to the Commonwealth Games during Dikshit's tenure would be scrutinized by the ACB.
CAG Report as a '370-Page Evidence'
During the elections between 2013-2015, Kejriwal asserted that the CAG report served as '370 pages of evidence' pointing to Sheila Dikshit's government's corruption and failures.
According to a January 2014 report by the Times of India, Kejriwal remarked how past vigilance commission cases were overlooked and suppressed.
Kejriwal claimed to have compiled a report on the Commonwealth Games irregularities in 2010, devoid of specific names, constructed from media reports detailing corrupt practices.
The Water Tanker Scandal
In June 2015, the AAP government set up a committee to investigate alleged irregularities involving 385 stainless steel water tankers rented by the Delhi Jal Board during Sheila Dikshit's governance in 2012.
Following this, in June 2016, Kejriwal called for charges and imprisonment against former CM Sheila Dikshit, emphasizing the exposure of the water tanker scandal.
He relayed in the Delhi Assembly that a report on this scandal was submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Lt Governor, emphasizing the urgency for Sheila Dikshit's imprisonment within two months.
In December 2023, while serving as CM, Kejriwal ordered a special audit by CAG on the Delhi Jal Board's accounts spanning 15 years, highlighting scrutiny from 2008 onwards.
Unauthorized Colony Scam
In July 2014, the AAP demanded stern action against former CM Sheila Dikshit over a ₹3000 crore unauthorized colony scam.
Citing the CAG report, AAP claimed it corroborated past findings by the former Lokayukta on this issue, the report residing with Delhi's Lt Governor.
AAP accused Dikshit of duping poor residents in unauthorized colonies and criticized her elevation to the Governor of Kerala without addressing the scam allegations.
This all set the stage for Kejriwal in 2013, using the CAG report prominently in his election campaign to rally public support against the Congress government.
In February 2014, AAP filed an FIR against Sheila Dikshit concerning the CWG scam; however, their first government collapsed within 49 days, stalling the investigation.
