# 3 parties criticise Centre for Rs 92 crore on ministers’ bungalows

2026-08-25T00:56:35+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

The Congress, AAP and Cockroach Janta Party have attacked the central government over the rising expenditure on Union ministers' official residences in Delhi, which reached Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26, more than triple the Rs 27.47 crore spent in 2014-15. The Congress accused the Modi government of "splurging" on ministers' bungalows while people face inflation. The CJP said the sum could have built 10 new government schools. The AAP contrasted the spending with the BJP's past criticism of the AAP government's expenditure on the former chief minister's residence. According to PTI data obtained through an RTI query, the CPWD spent a cumulative Rs 547.68 crore on the residences over 12 years. Officials attribute the rise to the cost of maintaining ageing bungalows, some 80 to 100 years old. The CJP has separately written to all state governments seeking data on school infrastructure, teacher vacancies and funding over the last five years, calling for improvements on a "war footing".

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The Congress and CJP frame the Rs 92.35 crore expenditure as a choice between ministers' bungalows and schools, omitting the CPWD's explanation that the cost reflects the age of the buildings. The Hindu's reporting shifts focus to the CJP's broader campaign targeting state governments, not just the Centre, and to specific demands for school data rather than a cost comparison. The two stories together show that the debate operates on two levels: one parliamentary opposition aimed at the Union government, and one grassroots campaign directed at state governments. The next step is the states' responses to the CJP's data requests, which will test whether the party can sustain its campaign beyond social media.

## Coverage

Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
- siasat.com (government critical) <https://www.siasat.com/congress-cjp-aap-question-centres-spending-on-ministers-bungalows-3530215/>
  leads with opposition criticism and cost data from PTI, no government response quoted
- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/children-being-treated-worse-than-animals-cjp-writes-to-state-governments-seeks-data-on-school-infrastructure/article71387156.ece>
  leads with CJP's state-level school campaign, not the bungalow cost comparison

This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-25T06:01:53+00:00.

Tags: Aam Aadmi Party, Central Public Works Department, Cockroach Janta Party, Congress, Lutyens Delhi
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