Amid the massive row over the Lokpal’s plan to procure seven BMW luxury cars for its members, former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has announced that he has switched to an electric vehicle, and added that “those wanting to buy BMWs” should switch to the Make in India EV experience.
“I have just switched to the Mahindra XEV9, embracing born electric mobility. It has a highly innovative design, advanced EV technology & superb driving performance,” Kant, who was the Sherpa of the G20 summit in Delhi in 2023, said in a post on X. He shared photos with the brand new car.
“Delighted to contribute to India’s journey towards a greener future while supporting #MakeInIndia innovation and manufacturing. The shift to EVs is not just about vehicles – it is about powering India’s progress with cleaner air, advanced technology, and a robust domestic industry,” Kant said.
He then added, “Those wanting to buy BMWs should switchover to @makeinIndia EV experience. It will elevate you to another level.”
I have just switched to the Mahindra XEV9, embracing born electric mobility. It has a highly innovative design, advanced EV technology & superb driving performance.
Delighted to contribute to India’s journey towards a greener future while supporting #MakeInIndia innovation and… pic.twitter.com/x9M9SJyQdK
— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) October 22, 2025
Earlier, Kant had said the Lokpal needs to cancel the tender and go for Electric Vehicles – Mahindra’s XEV 9E, BE 6 or Tata Harrier EV, describing them as top-class vehicles.
They need to cancel this tender and go in for @makeinindia Electric Vehicles – either Mahindra’s XEV 9E, BE 6 or Tata’s Harrier EV. They are top class vehicles.
“Lokpal of India floats tender to buy seven BMW-3 series worth Rs 70 lakh each”https://t.co/hewJAguCcE— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) October 21, 2025
Anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal’s decision to procure seven BMW luxury sedans, each costing Rs 70 lakh, has raised a storm, with social media users questioning whether public money should be spent in this manner.
Among those who criticised the Lokpal’s BMW plan are senior Congress leaders and Rajya Sabha MPs P Chidambaram and Abhishek Singhvi.
Chidambaram, a former Home Minister, asked why Lokpal’s chairman and its six members require BMW cars when Supreme Court judges are provided modest sedans.
“Why spend public money to acquire these cars? I hope that at least one or two members of the Lokpal have refused, or will refuse, to accept these cars,” he said in a post on X.
Singhvi said he chaired the Parliamentary Committee on Lokpal and his father, former parliamentarian Dr LM Singhvi, first conceived the idea of a Lokpal in the 1960s. “To see this anti-corruption body now ordering BMWs for its members is tragic irony, the guardians of integrity chasing luxury over legitimacy,” he said in a post on X.
The Congress leader said Lokpal has received 8,703 since its inception in 2019. These have led to only 24 investigations and 6 prosecution sanctions, he said.
“And now, BMWs worth Rs 70 lakh each. If this is our anti-corruption watchdog, it’s more poodle than panther,” Singhvi said in a post on X.
In a notification dated October 16, the Lokpal has invited open tenders for the supply of seven BMW 3 Series Li cars. According to media reports, BMW will also be told to provide seven days of training to Lokpal drivers and staff.
The chairperson of the Lokpal is former Supreme Court judge Justice AM Khanwilkar. The members include retired judges, Justice L Narayana Swamy, Justice Sanjay Yadav and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, former Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and retired bureaucrats Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey.