The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said the Delhi government promptly initiated a probe after receiving information about alleged irregularities in the Health Department by suspending the “officials involved”.
“The government acted immediately by suspending the officials against whom allegations were made. Now, those officials have also been arrested,” Delhi BJP chief spokesperson Abhay Verma said, responding to allegations made by Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday questioning the appointment of former Director General of Health Services Dr. Vatsala Aggarwal in 2025. Mr. Bharadwaj termed the appointment “against norms” since a vigilance inquiry was pending on Delhi State Cancer Institute appointments.
On Saturday, the Delhi government’s Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) arrested Dr. Aggarwal in connection with the alleged procurement scam involving medicines, surgical items, and medical equipment. Before that, the ACB had apprehended Dr. Vijay Kumar Ranga in the same case. He was later remanded in four-day police custody by a city court.
AAP on Monday continued to attack the BJP government over its “involvement” in the alleged irregularities, which the Opposition party pegged at around ₹650 crore, and demanded a wider probe.
Health Minister Pankaj Singh, speaking to reporters, refuted the allegation. “AAP’s claims are baseless. ₹650 crore was not even the expenditure in the whole exercise. Action will be taken based on the investigation report,” he said.
Mr. Bharadwaj alleged that the irregularities could not have been carried out by a single officer and accused the Delhi government of centralising procurement to facilitate the purchases.
