The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj in connection with an alleged Rs 5,000 crore hospital construction scam in Delhi. Along with Bharadwaj’s home, multiple other locations across the national capital were searched as part of the investigation.

According to reports, the ED is carrying out searches at 12 locations in Delhi linked to the case. The matter pertains to large-scale irregularities in hospital construction projects approved during Bharadwaj’s tenure as Delhi’s health minister in the previous regime.

Background of the hospital scam

In 2018-19, the Delhi government approved projects worth Rs 5,590 crore for the construction of 24 hospitals in the city. These projects, including the establishment of Intensive Care Units (ICUs), were expected to be completed within six months. However, even after more than three years, most projects remain unfinished, raising questions about mismanagement, corruption, and fund diversion.

Some of the alleged irregularities flagged by agencies include:

• Despite spending Rs 800 crore, only 50 percent of the work has been completed.

• The cost of LNJP Hospital escalated from Rs 488 crore to Rs 1,135 crore, without proportional progress.

• Several construction projects began without mandatory approvals and clearances, casting doubts on the role of contractors.

• The Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) project, pending since 2016, is alleged to have been deliberately delayed.

The ED registered its ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) after reviewing reports of corruption and financial irregularities. Along with Bharadwaj, former health minister Satyendar Jain is also under investigation for his alleged involvement in the scandal.

AAP’s reaction

Following the raids, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal strongly condemned the action. He accused the Modi government of political vendetta and misusing investigative agencies to target the opposition.

“The ED raid at Saurabh Bharadwaj’s house is another example of how the Modi government is misusing agencies. The way AAP is being targeted has never been done to any party in history,” Kejriwal said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).

He further alleged that AAP is being deliberately targeted because it has been the loudest voice against the central government’s policies. “The Modi government wants to suppress our voice. This will never happen,” he asserted.

The larger picture

The hospital construction scam has become one of the most high-profile corruption cases in Delhi, attracting widespread media and political attention. While the ED is intensifying its probe, AAP leaders continue to allege that such actions are part of a larger strategy to weaken the party ahead of upcoming elections.

For now, the focus remains on how the ED’s investigation unfolds and whether substantial evidence emerges to support the allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds in Delhi’s health infrastructure projects.

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