The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids at 13 locations across Delhi-NCR, including the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj. The raids form part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the construction of 24 hospitals during the AAP-led Delhi government’s tenure in 2018-19.
The probe was initiated after then Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, filed a complaint alleging financial misconduct in the projects. According to officials, the construction of the hospitals, with a total sanctioned cost of Rs 5,590 crore, was marred by delays, cost escalations, and questionable allocations, which remain unexplained. The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), in its preliminary findings, claimed evidence of cost inflation, misallocation of funds, and delays in sanctioning and construction across the city’s 24 hospital projects.
The Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) had earlier sought permission from the central government to initiate a probe against Bhardwaj and former Health Minister Satyender Jain under the Prevention of Corruption Act. While several senior AAP leaders, including ex-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, have faced corruption charges in other cases, this is the first time Bhardwaj has been accused of corruption by a central investigative agency. Known as a policy-focused leader and a media-savvy troubleshooter, Bhardwaj’s previously clean image has amplified the political impact of the ED action.
The timing of the probe comes amid political turbulence for the AAP, following its defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year, where the party won 22 seats against the BJP’s 48. Post-poll reshuffles saw Sisodia and Jain taking responsibility for AAP operations in Punjab, while Bhardwaj was appointed the Delhi AAP president, tasked with galvanising party workers and positioning the opposition effectively against the BJP government. Analysts suggest that the current probe could dampen the morale of the party’s Delhi cadre, while also placing pressure on the AAP in Punjab as it gears up for the next Assembly elections slated for early 2027.
The complaint in the alleged hospital construction scam accused the then AAP government of engaging in deliberate delays, inflating project costs, rejecting cost-effective solutions, and creating idle assets, resulting in significant losses to the government exchequer. The ACB submitted its report to the DoV earlier this year, prompting the latter to seek sanction from the President to enable a full investigation against Bhardwaj and Jain. Approval from the central government would allow the ACB to conduct the probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act, escalating the matter further for the AAP leadership.
In response, the AAP has rejected the allegations, calling them politically motivated. The party stated that the hospitals were critical for strengthening Delhi’s health infrastructure, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, when seven of these hospitals were intended to add approximately 7,000 ICU beds. The party argued that no revised files with inflated costs were submitted to ministers and accused the BJP-led Centre of withholding funds and “weaponising” investigative agencies.
Bhardwaj himself has maintained that delays and cost increases are common in government projects, suggesting that instead of accusing party leaders of corruption, the focus should be on bureaucratic accountability. Nevertheless, the ED’s raids underscore heightened scrutiny of the AAP and its key leaders, intensifying the political confrontation between the BJP and the ruling party in Delhi. The investigation is ongoing, and further developments are expected in the coming weeks.
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