New Delhi: The Public Works Department (PWD) officially allocated the bungalow at 6 Flag Staff Road to Delhi chief minister Atishi on Friday. This decision came after allegations from the chief minister’s office (CMO) that the residence was forcibly vacated under pressure from the BJP, with Lt Governor V K Saxena reportedly intending to assign it to a BJP leader. Atishi’s belongings were allegedly removed from the property.
Earlier, AAP MP Sanjay Singh claimed that officials were obstructing the allotment of the bungalow to Atishi, who was also affected by the vacating of her camp office. The AAP circulated images of Atishi working at her Kalkaji residence, surrounded by boxes packed with her possessions.
Blame game between AAP, BJP, CMO, and the LG’s office
A fierce blame game erupted involving the AAP, BJP, CMO, and the LG’s office over the situation surrounding the Flagstaff Road bungalow. The AAP maintains that the bungalow is the official residence of the chief minister and that it was properly vacated by Kejriwal, with keys handed over to Atishi by PWD officials. In contrast, the BJP has accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led party of theatrics and of trying to elicit sympathy.
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Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that, contrary to the AAP’s claims, the bungalow is not designated as the official residence of the chief minister. He characterised it as similar to other government residences where Kejriwal previously lived. Sachdeva challenged the AAP government to prove the bungalow’s official designation. While he expressed no objections to Atishi living there, he emphasised that it must comply with the relevant rules.
‘Atishi playing victim card’
Leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta, accused Atishi of playing the “victim card”, commenting that the photos of her working amid unpacked boxes were part of AAP’s new “drama”. Gupta also visited the AB-17 bungalow on Mathura Road, allocated to Atishi last year after she became a minister, highlighting that it was previously used by Sheila Dikshit for a decade during her time as chief minister.
