AAP leaders pedal to Delhi Assembly, allege Rs 90-crore ‘bicycle scam’

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders on Monday rode bicycles to the Delhi Assembly, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Ashish Sood over alleged irregularities in the procurement of 1.30 lakh bicycles for schoolgirls.

The Delhi Government rejected the allegations, saying the procurement was conducted through transparent open tendering in accordance with CVC guidelines and financial procedures.

Led by Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj, the party’s MLAs claimed that they purchased the same bicycle model from the market for around Rs 4,200, while the government paid Rs 6,957 per bicycle.

Alleging Rs 90-crore scam, Bharadwaj said the bicycles purchased by AAP leaders were identical to those being distributed to girl students.

“The bicycles we have purchased and those being given by the government to girl students are both of the Bonfire model, but the government is distributing them with ‘Skyler’ written on them,” he said.

“We bought these bicycles from a retailer for Rs 4,200 each, while the Delhi Government has purchased 1.30 lakh bicycles and paid Rs 6,957 for each. This means the government paid around Rs 3,000 more per bicycle,” Bharadwaj said.

Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha alleged that the price difference pointed to possible collusion in the tender process.

“The bicycle that I bought from the market for Rs 4,000 was shown at around Rs 7,000 in the tender, and 1.30 lakh bicycles were purchased,” he said.

Jha claimed that Hero Cycles had participated in the tender but did not get the contract, which was allegedly awarded to a trader. He alleged that Ashish Sood’s department had “pocketed Rs 40 crore” in the purchase.

Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh said: “The greed for corruption among BJP leaders has grown so much that they are now carrying out scams even in bicycles meant for girls”.

Delhi Legislative Affairs Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh rejected the allegations and defended the procurement process.

“The government categorically rejects the allegations regarding the distribution of 1.3 lakh cycles to girl students. The entire procurement has been carried out through transparent open tendering, strictly in accordance with CVC guidelines and prescribed financial procedures,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that the Opposition is trying to create unnecessary controversy around a pro-women initiative aimed at supporting girls’ education and mobility,” he said.

Six AAP MLAs marshalled out

Just a few minutes after the commencement of the second day of the monsoon session on Monday, six AAP MLAs were marshalled out of the Delhi Assembly after Speaker Vijender Gupta asked them to remove their “objectionable” T-shirts.