'Sheeshmahal' row: Police stop AAP leaders as they try entering Delhi CM’s residence
AAP had invited media to take a tour of the CM’s residence which BJP alleges was built as a luxurious bungalow with taxpayers' money during Arvind Kejriwal’s tenure as CM
AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh on Wednesday (January 8) staged a dharna outside the chief minister’s residence in Delhi after being denied entry into the campus by police as part of their attempts to prove BJP’s ‘Sheeshmahal’ claims untrue.
Earlier in the day the AAP had said that Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP and Bharadway, a minister in the Atishi cabinet, would accompany the media on a tour of the chief minister's residence, which the BJP claims was turned into a "Sheeshmahal" during Arvind Kejriwal's tenure.
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Singh and Bharadwaj told reporters at a press conference that they would also take the reporters to the prime minister's residence, which AAP has dubbed "Raj Mahal" and claimed was built at a cost of 2,700 crore.
Barricades put up, security forces deployed
Police, however, prevented the AAP leaders to enter the compound. Barricades have been put up and heavy security has been deployed outside the chief minister’s residence to thwart any attempts by protesters to enter it.
Visuals also showed Singh and Bharadwaj engaged in a heated argument with police personnel deployed at the place.
“BJP used to send new videos and photos every day. Today, we came here with all the media persons. Now, the BJP is running away. A three-layer barricading has been put up. They have also put up water cannons and deployed Additional DCP here. This has been turned into a border so that the media can't go in,” Bharadwaj told the media.
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“Show us where the swimming pool and bar are...BJP says that the chief minister’s residence was built for Rs 33 crore. It is also being said that prime minister’s house is being built for Rs 2700 crore. We will see both the chief minister’s residence and the prime minister’s house. Let the public see both," ANI quoted him as saying.
Sheeshmahal vs Raj Mahal
The ‘Raj Mahal’ jibe is part of AAP's counter allegation that the prime minister leads a luxurious lifestyle.
"As promised, we will visit the chief minister's official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road, at 11 am and try to find the golden commode, swimming pool, and mini bar that the BJP claims are present there," Bharadwaj had said earlier.
"It should be noted that both these properties are government residences. They were built with taxpayers' money and came up during the COVID pandemic. If there are allegations of misappropriation of funds, both should be investigated," he added.
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Row over bungalow
The 6, Flagstaff Road, bungalow has sparked controversy over alleged irregularities in its renovation and costly fittings and household goods present in it.
The BJP has focussed a big part of its assembly election campaign around these allegations, dubbing the bungalow "Sheeshmahal".
The saffron party's Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva has claimed that valuable items, including a "golden commode", were missing after the bungalow was vacated by Kejriwal.
Also read: BJP claims ‘pricey’ items missing after Kejriwal left govt bungalow, Atishi hits back
On Tuesday, AAP challenged the BJP to open the prime minister's residence for a media visit to reveal the reality while also offering to take reporters on a tour of the chief minister's residence.
