Former BJP Minister and MLA Narottam Mishra cited a written reply given to him in the Madhya Pradesh state assembly by the state government on July 9 and revealed that Rs 38.47 crores has been spent by the state public works department to renovate the official residences of 28 new ministers.

This included the Chief Minister’s residence in Bhopal where Kamal Nath is yet to move in. 

“The chief minister, since the last seven months, has still not reached the CM’s house. Our CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan stayed in the same residence for the last 15 years, but I am unable to understand what is lacking in that house that Kamal Nath has not moved in there for seven months now and constant repair and renovation is being carried out there. This is wastage of the state’s resources,” Mishra told The Economic Times. 

He criticised the Congress Government for not allocating funds for cremations under the former government’s Sambhal Scheme. “But they are wasting so much money on renovating official bungalows. New houses from scratch could have been built with Rs 39 crores,” Mishra further added. 

State PWD Minister Sajjan Singh Verma, claimed that the figures were incorrect and said that a minimal amount of money was spent. 

“Such was the desperation and frustration of the BJP ministers when they lost power that they even uprooted taps and pipes from the government bungalows before vacating them. We had to carry out some repairs hence to make them livable,” Verma told.

State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agarwal blamed Kamal Nath for not moving into the CM’s residence. He also pointed out that the former BJP CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan was very simple, whereas Nath wants a lavish way of living. 

Agarwal also defended the decision by saying that the workers from other states have been carrying out renovation process at the CM’s residence since the last seven months, because of which Nath has not shifted into the house. 

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