‘Locked out’: AAP vs LG saga continues over Delhi CM’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ | Delhi News
NEW DELHI: The Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Thursday levelled fresh allegations against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing it of delaying the handover of the chief mninister’s house at 6, Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines to “hide corruption”.
In a sharp statement, he claimed that AAP national convenor and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has failed to vacate the official residence, ‘Sheesh Mahal,’ despite legal obligations.
“The CM residence is just a residence which was allotted to Arvind Kejriwal. There is an obligation to vacate that house because of legal liability. However, they don’t wish to vacate it to hide the corruption they have hidden in that ‘Sheesh Mahal’,” said Sachdeva.
Sachdeva also pointed out that current Delhi CM Atishi is entitled to move into the residence, but legal procedures must be followed. “Today if (Delhi CM) Atishi wishes to go there then she can, but she will have to follow the rules,” the BJP president added further.
The ‘Sheesh Mahal’ controversy
Two days after chief minister Atishi moved some of her belongings to 6, Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines, previously the official residence of former CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Public Works Department (PWD) took possession of the property on Wednesday, triggering a controversy.
According to PWD officials, a team of civil and electrical engineers from the department received the keys to the residence from the staff of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) at around 5pm.
They stated that Atishi’s belongings were voluntarily removed by the staff before the keys were handed over.
AAP counters allegations
The chief minister’s Office (CMO) disputed this account, accusing the Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena, under instructions from the BJP, of orchestrating the evacuation of the CM’s residence.
The CMO alleged that the “BJP, which has been out of power in Delhi for 27 years, is trying to take control of the house.”
It further claimed, “Atishi’s belongings were forcibly removed from the residence and preparations are underway by the LG to allocate the CM’s residence to a senior BJP leader.”
A senior PWD official confirmed that the department had taken possession of the bungalow and secured it with a new lock.
“As per protocol, cleaning and inventory work is ongoing, and the report will be submitted to the house allotment division. This process will take a few days,” the official said.
‘Placed belongings without allocation’
Sources added that Atishi had placed her belongings in the house without it being officially allocated to her and later removed them voluntarily. “AAP need not be concerned; the bungalow will be allotted to the chief minister immediately after the inventory is prepared,” the sources noted.
This controversy followed soon after CM Atishi moved into the residence on Monday, with the BJP arguing that it had not yet been officially handed over to the PWD for reallocation.
A PWD letter, citing vigilance cases related to the house’s construction, was made public, indicating the need for an inspection and stocktaking before any new allocation.
