A day after the “Delhi chief minister’s residence” was “forcibly” vacated, a war of words intensified between the AAP and the BJP on Thursday as the former released images and videos showing Chief Minister Atishi signing official files at her Kalkaji residence surrounded by packed cartons of her belongings. BJP leaders accused the AAP of indulging in “drama”, saying the Flagstaff Road bungalow is not the official residence of the Delhi chief minister as the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is trying to portray.
Responding to a question at a press conference here regarding the controversy surrounding the chief minister’s residence, Atishi hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of trying to encroach upon the bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road in the Civil Lines area. The BJP is frustrated as it has failed to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in elections and is, thus, resorting to “desperate measures”, Atishi alleged.
“The BJP is in tension because they have not been able to defeat us in polls. They could not even secure seats in double digits in the Assembly and their Operation Lotus to break our party also failed. Even jailing our leaders did not work,” she said.
The AAP claimed on Wednesday that the chief minister was made to “forcibly vacate” the bungalow. Atishi said if the BJP gets peace by encroaching upon the chief minister’s house, it is welcome to do so. “Our party is not in politics for bungalows or cars. If necessary, AAP ministers and MLAs are ready to work from the streets,” she said.
Earlier in the day, the AAP shared images showing Atishi signing files at her Kalkaji residence surrounded by cartons packed with her belongings. Posting the images on X, the AAP lashed out at the BJP, saying it cannot take away Atishi’s commitment to work for the people of Delhi.
Accusing the chief minister of playing the “victim card”, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said, “The photos of Atishi working amid empty boxes is the AAP’s new drama.”
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva claimed that the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow is not the official residence of the Delhi chief minister.
“It is like other government bungalows where Arvind Kejriwal lived as the chief minister,” Sachdeva said as he challenged the AAP government to prove that the bungalow in the Civil Lines area is “earmarked” as the chief minister’s official residence.
“We have no objections if Atishi wants to live there. But it must be done in accordance with the rules,” Sachdeva said.
Gupta, who on Thursday visited the AB-17 bungalow on Mathura Road, allotted to Atishi last year after she became a minister, said, “She has a bungalow allotted in her name on Mathura Road that was earlier used by Sheila Dikshit for 10 years when she was the chief minister of Delhi.”
“Also, Aitishi can work from her office at the Delhi Secretariat, but she is only making a futile attempt to play the victim card by posing with empty boxes,” he said.
The AAP has claimed that the Flagstaff Road bungalow was the chief minister’s residence, which was properly vacated by Kejriwal and its keys were later handed over to his successor Atishi by PWD officials.
On the other hand, sources in the LG’s office have claimed that the bungalow is not the chief minister’s designated residence and it has not been allotted to Atishi yet.
They have also said the bungalow will be handed over to the chief minister after preparing inventories of the items kept inside it for fresh allotment.
The AAP has accused the BJP of trying to “usurp” the “chief minister’s bungalow” despite not being in power in Delhi for 27 years.
The BJP earlier ran a campaign against Kejriwal alleging corruption in the reconstruction of the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow when he was the chief minister, coining the term “sheesh mahal” while citing the “pricey” interiors and fixtures in the house.
Sachdeva alleged that since Kejriwal does not want the “corruption of sheesh mahal” to get exposed, the AAP is “desperate” to take possession of the Flagstaff Road bungalow.
Earlier in the day, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of “throwing away” a woman chief minister’s belongings from her “residence” during the ongoing Navratri festival.
Addressing a press conference here, he accused the saffron party of trying to “forcibly capture” the “chief minister’s residence”.
“This is a grave disrespect to an elected woman chief minister and the people of Delhi. A party that has been out of power in Delhi for 27 years is trying to capture the chief minister’s house forcibly,” Singh said.
