Delhi BJP to gherao Kejriwal's home over 'Sheeshmahal' tomorrow

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) The Delhi BJP plans to gherao or lay siege to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Feroz Shah Road on Thursday to seek answers from the AAP National Convener on the allegedly extravagant expenditure on fixtures and fittings at his former official residence in north Delhi. 

Referring to the upgraded CM bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines, as “Sheeshmahal”, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Wednesday asked Kejriwal to tell the public from where the money came to fit a gold-plated toilet seat, washbasin and a Rs 27-lakh TV.

While addressing media persons, Sachdeva said the recently revealed inventory of items from the earlier Civil Lines bungalow of Kejriwal, who vacated it in October, has raised new questions about him.

He said that a letter written by an official from the Public Works Department (PWD) to a senior department officer revealed that after the renovation of the bungalow in 2022, the department provided only a few basic items for daily use.

However, when Kejriwal eventually vacated the residence after submitting his resignation, PWD officials were stunned to see the extravagant furnishings, Sachdeva said.

In 2022, the PWD had prepared a one-page allocation list for the bungalow. However, the newly prepared inventory spans eight pages, he alleged.

The letter clarifies that no additional items were provided to the ‘Sheeshmahal’ after April 2022 by the PWD.

“This revelation has left Delhiites wondering about the origin of the opulent decoration and items like gold-plated toilet, wash basin, carpets worth over Rs 50 lakh, and chandeliers costing lakhs of rupees,” said Sachdeva, questioning AAP’s silence over the issue.

“Therefore, BJP members will gherao Kejriwal’s residence on Feroz Shah Road on Thursday and seek answers,” said the Delhi BJP chief.

“Kejriwal must clarify whether this ‘Sheeshmahal’ was funded by the liquor scam, the school and hospital construction scams, or by the plunder from Punjab,” he said.

The Delhi BJP’s aggression against alleged corruption in the upgradation of Kejriwal’s former home comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections in February and appears to be an attempt to mount pressure on the AAP whose city government seems to be on the back foot due to a spurt in pollution.

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta wrote to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena and demanded an inquiry to find out who installed the costly items and facilities like a gold-plated toilet seat, a gold-plated washbasin and a gymnasium at Kejriwal’s former official home.

A gold-plated toilet seat, a gold-plated wash basin and a gymnasium were not mentioned in the inventory that the PWD made in April 2022 at the time of handing over the possession of the official residence to Kejriwal in north Delhi, the BJP said, asking Raj Niwas to order a probe into the installation of costly items in the bungalow.

--IANS

rch/uk