The Delhi Public Works Department on Wednesday directed Aam Aadmi Party leader and Chief Minister Atishi to vacate her bungalow in the Civil Lines area, The Indian Express reported. The house is considered to be the Delhi chief minister’s official residence.
Subsequently, Atishi’s belongings were removed from the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, according to reports.
Later in the day, unidentified officials from the department said that the bungalow had been sealed, The Indian Express reported.
The development came two days after Atishi, who also heads the Public Works Department, moved into the residence. Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had vacated the bungalow on October 4.
On Wednesday, the chief minister’s office also said that Atishi had been asked to vacate the bungalow. “For the first time in the history of the country, the chief minister has been asked to vacate her house,” the office said in a press statement.
It claimed that Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena “forcibly removed” the chief minister’s belongings at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, The Indian Express reported.
“Preparations are underway on behalf of the L-G [Saxena] to allot the CM’s residence to a big BJP leader,” the statement added. “The BJP, which has been in exile in Delhi for 27 years, now wants to capture the CM’s residence.”
The Assembly elections in Delhi are expected to take place in early 2025.
The Public Works Department officials, however, told The Indian Express that while Atishi was in possession of the keys to the bungalow, she did not have an official allotment letter.
Officials from the department visited the bungalow on Wednesday morning and got the keys to the house from her by afternoon, the newspaper quoted unidentified officials as saying.
On Tuesday, the Directorate of Vigilance issued a show-cause notice to three officials, including the special secretary to the chief minister, for failing to hand over keys to the bungalow “despite directions” from the Public Works Department, The Indian Express reported.
“The said structure/building at 6 Flag Staff Road has never been earmarked as the official residence of the chief minister of Delhi,” the notice said, according to the newspaper.
It added that the matter was being examined by the Directorate of Vigilance, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Public Works Department, which reports to the Union housing and urban affairs ministry.
“The matter has not attained finality due to various aspects of irregularities allegedly committed in the demolition/alteration, addition/construction of a new bungalow,” the notice added.
The officials were asked to submit their replies within seven days.
The alleged irregularities pertain to the violations in the reconstruction of the residence in 2020-’21 during Kejriwal’s tenure as the chief minister.
After the claims came to light, the Directorate of Vigilance began an inquiry and 10 officials from the Public Works Department were suspended, The Indian Express reported.
Atishi replaced Kejriwal as the chief minister on September 21. The Aam Aadmi Party had announced on September 17 that she would be the chief minister till the next Assembly election in the national capital.
Kejriwal had said on September 15, after being released on bail in the Delhi liquor policy case, that he would return to the post only after voters expressed their support for him.
Row erupts between Aam Aadmi Party, lieutenant governor’s office
On Wednesday, a row erupted between the Aam Aadmi Party and Saxena’s office about Atishi being asked to vacate the Civil Lines bungalow.
Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the lieutenant governor was “planting in the media” that Atishi’s belongings were “thrown out” of the chief minister’s residence because she did not give the keys to the Public Works Department.
“After throwing out Atishi ji’s belongings, the inventory inside the house will be taken and after that the house will be allotted to her,” Bharadwaj said.
He added: “I would like to ask LG Sahib [Saxena] with all due respect that when he shifted to Raj Niwas, did the old LG hand over the keys of Raj Niwas to PWD and was the inventory of Raj Niwas taken before the new LG shifted?”
The Raj Niwas said that Bharadwaj was “uninformed” about the processes, The Indian Express quoted unidentified officials as saying.
“With regards to the shifting of L-G VK Saxena, inventory of Delhi Raj Niwas was duly conducted by the L-G Secretariat, before he moved in,” the officials said. “Raj Niwas remains an open house for anyone and everyone to visit ever since Saxena took over.”
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva asked what was the hurry for Atishi to take possession of the residence.
“Kejriwal constructed the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ with public money,” he said at a press conference. “The people of Delhi have full right to know the truth. Proper inventory of ‘Sheesh Mahal’ should be done.”
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