New Delhi, August 11: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has leveled serious corruption allegations against the government regarding the procurement of bicycles intended for schoolgirls in Delhi. In protest against the alleged bicycle scam, AAP leaders and legislators rode bicycles to the Delhi Assembly on Monday. They chanted slogans demanding the resignation of Education Minister Ashish Sood and criticized the BJP government.
AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj led the legislators who arrived at the Assembly on bicycles. He claimed that the Delhi government purchased approximately 130,000 bicycles for distribution to schoolgirls, paying ₹6,957 for each bicycle. In contrast, AAP leaders asserted that they had acquired similar bicycles from the market for around ₹4,200 each. They questioned why the government paid such a high amount per bicycle when identical models were available at a lower price in the market.
Bhardwaj alleged that the government had embezzled nearly ₹900 million in this procurement. He stated that the bicycles purchased by AAP and those provided to schoolgirls by the government were essentially the same, differing only in price and model name. He noted that the bicycles bought by AAP were labeled as the “Bonfire” model, while those given to students were marked as “Skyler.” He challenged the government to compare the two models side by side in the Assembly.
Bhardwaj emphasized that if a price difference of about ₹3,000 per bicycle is considered, the total discrepancy for 130,000 bicycles amounts to a significant sum. He indicated that the opposition would demand answers from the government regarding this procurement process and pricing in the Assembly. He raised concerns about the potential misuse of public funds in the bicycle purchase and called for a fair investigation.
Sanjeev Jha, the legislator from Burari, also targeted the government, stating that AAP legislators had come to raise the issue of the bicycle scam and demand accountability from the government. He claimed that the tender indicated a price of about ₹7,000 for bicycles that were available in the market for approximately ₹4,000 to ₹4,200. He alleged that there were significant irregularities in the procurement process.
Jha questioned the tender process, noting that Hero Cycles was involved but did not receive the contract, which was awarded to a trader instead. He argued that if a trader was providing bicycles at a price lower than the manufacturer, a thorough investigation was necessary. Jha accused Education Minister Ashish Sood’s ministry of being involved in a multi-million rupee commission scheme and demanded accountability in the matter.
Kuldip Kumar, the legislator from Kondli, stated that the people of Delhi want to know why the government spent ₹6,957 per bicycle when the same model was available for around ₹4,200. He argued that this price difference represents a substantial burden on the public treasury. He questioned where the extra funds had gone.
Jarnail Singh, the legislator from Tilak Nagar, also criticized the government, pointing out that bicycles available in the market for approximately ₹4,000 were purchased at around ₹7,000 by the government. He suggested that such a significant price difference would have resulted in considerable financial losses for the government. He noted that the funds could have been used to purchase additional bicycles, benefiting a larger number of students.
AAP leaders alleged that during the government’s tenure, irregularities had been reported in various sectors, including medicine, hospital beds, bed sheets, rice, and now the procurement of bicycles for schoolgirls. The party has demanded a detailed discussion on this issue in the Assembly and called for the government to publicly disclose all details related to the procurement process, tenders, pricing, and payments.
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