Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has stirred a political storm by claiming he deserves a Nobel Prize for governance, a remark that drew a sharp rebuke from the BJP, which dismissed his statement as “laughable” and accused him of presiding over a tenure marked by incompetence and corruption.
Speaking in Chandigarh on Tuesday at the launch of the Punjabi edition of a book titled ‘The Kejriwal Model’, the AAP supremo said that despite repeated attempts to obstruct his government’s work in Delhi, his administration had delivered effectively.
“Despite being stopped from working, we performed. I should get a Nobel Prize for governance and administration for doing so much despite there being a lieutenant governor and various difficulties,” Kejriwal said.
The statement sparked an immediate backlash from the BJP, which currently governs Delhi. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva led the charge, accusing Kejriwal of self-praise in the face of mounting allegations.
“Kejriwal demanding a Nobel Prize for himself is laughable. He would have surely received one if there were categories for incompetence, anarchy and corruption,” Sachdeva said.
He went on to list alleged irregularities during the AAP regime, including scams related to panic buttons on public transport buses, classroom construction, pension schemes for women, liquor licencing, and the controversial renovation of the chief minister’s residence – dubbed the “sheesh mahal” by critics.
The AAP hit back, accusing the BJP of resorting to name-calling instead of focusing on governance.
“Virendra Sachdeva is in the government now. It is time to govern, not just talk. Opposition days are over – now you have to deliver. Delhi is waiting for real work, not distractions or name-calling,” said former Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
During his address, Kejriwal defended his administration’s track record, asserting that the AAP’s governance model is built on transparency and honesty.
“If a government is corrupt, if its ministers are looting, this model will collapse,” he said, claiming that his party’s success in Delhi and Punjab was based on curbing corruption and saving public money.
“Previous governments had claimed that the treasury was empty. But we fixed schools and hospitals and gave free electricity, because we curbed corruption,” he added.
Kejriwal also launched a scathing attack on the current BJP-led administration in Delhi, alleging that since AAP exited power in September 2024, services in the national capital have “collapsed”.
He accused BJP MLAs and ministers of being more interested in looting than governance and claimed that people have already begun to miss AAP’s rule.
Sachdeva, however, dismissed these claims and said the people of Delhi still remember the “series of scams” under Kejriwal’s leadership, including the alleged misuse of public funds for the renovation of his residence and lapses in essential public services.
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