Atishi Displaced From Civil Lines Bungalow Just Days After Moving In
Only two days after Delhi Chief Minister moved into the Civil Lines bungalow, which had previously housed ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal, PWD ordered Atishi to vacate the place. PWD officials sealed the bungalow afterwards. AAP claims that strictly all procedures have been followed before Atishi moved in, whereas PWD says a handover from Kejriwal is yet to be done.
CM Residence Eviction Row Hots Up
This eviction was unprecedented, the Chief Minister's Office said. The chief minister was candid about saying that it was for the first time ever in the country that a Chief Minister had been made to vacate her official residence. Belongings removed on behest of BJP? It was the L-G who allegedly did so at the BJP's behest from the CM's residence. CM Atishi further stated: This is an attempt by a party that hasn't been able to stay in power for 27 years since Delhi became a Union Territory to try and grab the CM's bungalow.
Atishi had resigned on September 17 after being released from jail on bail and had left the bungalow last Friday. PWD officials said, though keys were in possession of Atishi, she did not have an official allotment letter. Sources said that PWD people went to the bungalow on Wednesday and Atishi handed over the keys to them in the afternoon.
Controversy and probe over the bungalow continued
It is not the first controversy the bungalow has been embroiled in. Last year, BJP and Congress had attacked Kejriwal and AAP over reported irregularities and excessive costs during the renovation process of this building. The bungalow was allotted to Kejriwal in 2015 and rebuilt between 2020 and 2021.
After these allegations, the Vigilance Department investigated and filed a disciplinary case against 10 PWD officials. Also, it is still under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Vigilance Department issues notice to officials
Show-cause notices were issued by the Directorate of Vigilance to three officials, including special secretary to CM, on Tuesday for not handing over the keys of their bungalows despite instructions from PWD. Two section officers from Kejriwal's camp office also received notices. Now, these officials have seven days to respond.
#WATCH | Visuals from outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister, 6-flag Staff Road, Civil Lines.
A team of PWD officials has reached here. Delhi CMO claims that Delhi LG got all the belongings of Chief Minister Atishi removed from the Chief Minister's residence. pic.twitter.com/L3ukGlWYLk— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2024
BJP Demands Videography of CM's Official Bungalow, Transparency before Public
As Delhi in this summer clocked one of the most hot summer days of the last five decades, an equal intensity surrounded the ties between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party. BJP on Wednesday demanded videographic survey of the Chief Minister's official residence, in which AAP leader Atishi has been evicted from. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that the sealing was done according to public interest. He asked the PWD to conduct video survey and release the report so that the Delhiites can have complete transparency in it.
Proper Allotment and Transparency Issues
Sachdeva was of the view that the AAP had hastened the process of allotting the bungalow to Atishi. In the whole exercise, he said it seemed to abdicate proper government procedure, hinting that the former CM Arvind Kejriwal has some thing to hide, though the AAP has not come out with an explanation till date. The eviction has thus been yet another flashpoint of tension between AAP and BJP, the two already bitter political rivals.
Official Notice and Earlier Allotments
Earlier, the Vigilance Department served notice to three officials including a special secretary to former CM why they hadn't handed over the keys of the property to PWD sooner. Sachdeva underlined that Atishi enjoys a ministerial residence at 17 A.B. Mathura Road, which Atishi could not use when former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit occupied it while she was in office from 1998 to 2004. He asked why could not Atishi make use of the same residence for her official work.
AAP's Stand Yet to be Presented
Sachdeva has further sought to criticize AAP leaders Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh for their enthusiasm to get Atishi stay in the bungalow at 6 Flagstaff Road, popularly known as the 'Sheeshmahal' bungalow. The BJP believes that the public needs to be made aware of how this plot of land is important to the party. AAP has yet to publicly respond to such assertions. Observing the debate, political analysts point out that it is only a reflection of the deepening split between the two parties, with the two being involved in yet another bitter struggle for control and influence in the city.
With inputs from Agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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