NEW DELHI: Bhartiya Janata Party on Wednesday slammed Delhi chief minister Atishi for staging “drama” over allotment of CM residence and questioned why the latter wanted ‘Sheesh Mahal‘ when she had already been assigned a bungalow.
“This bungalow is allotted to Atishi Marlena who is the CM of Delhi. I want to ask when this bungalow is allotted to you, then why do you want to live in Sheesh Mahal?” the BJP Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva asked standing outside Atishi’s residence.
“When Sheesh Mahal was allotted to you, you did not reply for three months. As per our information, you did not live here. Everyone knows who live here. If you don’t live in Kalkaji, then who lives there? I want to ask how many bungalows you want?” he added.
He further accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders of trying to divert attention from alleged corruption and irregularities in the construction of the so-called “Sheesh Mahal” at 6, Flagstaff Road, the official residence of former CM Arvind Kejriwal.
“The AAP leaders are doing drama and trying to divert attention from the Sheesh corruption and irregularities committed in the construction of Sheesh Mahal (6, Flagstaff Road, occupied by Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister). Why did they not think of showing the Sheesh Mahal earlier and now insist on a visit when the administration is bound by a model code of conduct?” he said.
The whole drama unfolded when Atishi on Tuesday accused the BJP-led central government of evicting her from the chief minister’s bungalow by canceling its allotment. However, according to the PWD, the cancellation was due to her failure to take possession of the property within the stipulated time frame as mandated by the rules. The PWD letter was shared by BJP leader Amit Malviya.
Meanwhile, BJP has made allegations surrounding “Sheesh Mahal,” the chief minister’s official bungalow, a central theme of its assembly election campaign. The saffron party has accused AAP of lavish spending on the property, with Sachdeva claiming that valuable items, including a “golden commode,” were missing after the residence was vacated by Arvind Kejriwal.