Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Congress on Wednesday (Oct 22, 2025) slammed the anti-corruption body Lokpal after it floated a tender to purchase seven luxury BMW cars for its members.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi told X, “I chaired the Parliamentary Committee on Lokpal. Dr LM Singhvi first conceived the idea of Lokpal in the early 1960s. It is a tragic irony to see this anti-corruption body now ordering BMWs for its members – the guardians of integrity chasing luxury.”
Very few probes
In another post, he said: “8,703 complaints. Only 24 investigations. 6 prosecution penalties. And now BMWs worth ₹70,000 each. If this is our anti-corruption watchdog, he’s more of a poodle than a panther.”
Priced at around ₹ 69.5 lakh per unit in Delhi, the long-wheelbase sedan is described as the longest and most spacious car in the segment designed for exceptional comfort in an ultra-luxurious cabin, according to the tender and the manufacturer’s website. The total acquisition cost is around ₹5 crore.
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram questioned the move in a post on social media: “Why spend public money to buy these cars? I hope at least one or two Lokpal members have refused or will refuse to accept these cars.”
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh launched a scathing attack, claiming that Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, ‘India Against Corruption’ and the RSS had created a fake narrative against the Manmohan Singh government but now “the reality of the Lokpal is before the people”.
“This is not a Lokpal but a shaukh (leniency) or ‘shock’ buddy,” Mr Ramesh said in a video post on his X handle, adding: “The idea is that ‘we are the Lokpal, we are above everything and we are not responsible’. What kind of investigation exactly did they do?”
Published – 22 Oct 2025 21:27 IST
