24 August,2026 03:38 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Abhijeet Dipke. File Photo
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has criticised the Centre over the record Rs 92.35 crore spent on the upkeep of Union ministers' official residences in the last financial year, arguing that the money could instead have been used to improve government schools.
Reacting to reports on the expenditure on the official bungalows occupied by Union ministers, the CJP accused the government of misplaced priorities and questioned the rationale behind the rising spending on the residences.
"Stop fixing your lavish homes, and fix the schools!" the CJP said in a post on X.
The organisation added, "Rs 92 crore = 10 new world-class government schools. The money is available, the intent to use it for government schools is missing."
The latest campaign by the CJP focuses on the condition of government schools and comes amid a debate over public spending priorities.
The group was founded by Abhijeet Dipke in May as a satirical response to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's "cockroach" remark. It has since positioned itself as a broader youth movement raising issues including unemployment and examination irregularities.
The CJP used the expenditure on ministers' official residences to highlight what it described as a gap between spending on government properties and investment in public education.
According to information obtained by PTI through an RTI query, expenditure on the renovation, furnishing and repair of Union ministers' official residences in Delhi increased 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 is responsible for maintaining the residences, spent a cumulative Rs 547.68 crore on renovation, furnishing and repair work at the properties during the 12-year period from 2014-15 to 2025-26.
The figures show a significant increase in expenditure in recent years. The annual average stood at Rs 26.78 crore between 2014-15 and 2018-19 before nearly doubling to around Rs 50 crore between 2019-20 and 2023-24.
The expenditure subsequently increased to Rs 71.98 crore in 2024-25 before reaching Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26.
Officials have attributed the rising expenditure to the cost of maintaining the ageing bungalows used as official residences by ministers.
Many of the properties were built between 80 and 100 years ago and require regular maintenance. Officials have pointed to issues including seepage, termite infestation and ageing electrical and plumbing systems as factors contributing to the repair and maintenance costs.
The government residences are part of Delhi's older bungalow infrastructure, much of which requires periodic renovation because of the age of the buildings and their utility systems.
The expenditure has also prompted a political response from AAP leader and former Delhi minister Somnath Bharti, who contrasted the latest figures with the BJP's criticism of expenditure on the official residence occupied by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
"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 previously made the construction and renovation of Kejriwal's former official residence in Civil Lines a major political issue, accusing the previous AAP government of excessive spending.
The BJP had repeatedly criticised the expenditure associated with Kejriwal's former residence and referred to the property as a "sheesh mahal", making it a prominent issue in its political attacks on the former Delhi government.
