New Delhi: The rise in the annual expenditure on the upkeep of Union ministers’ official residences in Delhi drew criticism from the Congress, CJP and AAP on Monday, August 24, with the three questioning the Centre’s spending priorities and the state of public services and government schools.
The Congress led the attack, accusing the Modi government of “splurging” on ministers’ bungalows while people “grappled with inflation” and inadequate public infrastructure. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said the Rs 92-crore expenditure last year could instead have paid for 10 new government schools.
“Modi and his ministers are living a life of royal luxury—having a great time—on taxes collected from your hard-earned money. Yet, they offer you no relief from rampant inflation, pothole-ridden roads, a failing healthcare system, and a dismal education system,” the Congress’ posted on X, highlighting a PTI report on the rising expenditure on the colonial-era bungalows occupied by ministers.
The AAP contrasted the expenditure with the BJP’s sustained criticism of the erstwhile Arvind Kejriwal government’s spending on the Delhi chief minister’s residence.
The CJP wrote on X, “Stop fixing your lavish homes, and fix the schools! Rs 92 crore = 10 new world-class government schools. The money is available, the intent to use it for government schools is missing.”
Founded by Abhijeet Dipke in May as a satirical response to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s “cockroach” remark, the CJP has since emerged as a broader youth movement centred around issues such as unemployment and examination irregularities.
Its latest campaign has focused on the state of government schools.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticised what she called the “exorbitant spending” on the renovation and furnishing of government bungalows for the ministers.
“Rs 92.35 crore was spent in 2025-26. Rs 27.47 crore was spent in 2014-15. Meaning, the expenditure has now more than tripled. The public grapples with inflation and unemployment – but what do they care?” Shrinate, the chairperson of the Congress’ social media and digital platforms, wrote on X.
AAP leader and former Delhi minister Somnath Bharti contrasted the expenditure with the controversy over the construction and renovation of the official residence occupied by Kejriwal as chief minister.
“Why doesn’t the Godi media debate this 92 crore splurge on repair of houses of ministers in Modi govt who left no stone unturned to criticise Kejriwal govt for constructing a CM house?” Bharti wrote on X.
The BJP had made the expenditure on Kejriwal’s former Civil Lines official residence a major political issue, repeatedly accusing the previous AAP government of extravagance and referring to the property as a “sheesh mahal”.
According to information PTI obtained through an RTI query, expenditure on renovation, furnishing and repair of the official residences of Union ministers in Delhi rose from Rs 27.47 crore in 2014-15 to a record Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26.
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which maintains the residences located in the Lutyens Bungalow Zone in the heart of Delhi, spent a cumulative Rs 547.68 crore on such works over the 12 years from 2014-15 to 2025-26.
The expenditure has risen sharply in recent years. It averaged Rs 26.78 crore annually between 2014-15 and 2018-19, nearly doubled to around Rs 50 crore between 2019-20 and 2023-24, and subsequently climbed to Rs 71.98 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 92.35 crore last year.
Officials have attributed the increased bill to the cost of maintaining the ageing bungalows, many of which are 80 to 100 years old and suffer from problems such as seepage, termite infestation, and ageing electrical and plumbing systems.
