Standoff between AAP leaders, Delhi Police outside CM’s residence

A standoff took place between members of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Delhi Police on Wednesday after party leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj were stopped from entering the chief minister’s official residence in the national capital, India Today reported.

This came amid a row between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow. The BJP has claimed that the residence was turned into a “sheesh mahal [glass palace]” when Aam Aam Party chief Arvind Kejriwal was the chief minister, The Hindu reported.

The party has alleged that renovations worth more than Rs 40 crore were carried out inside the residence during Kejriwal’s tenure, according to India Today.

The bungalow is currently vacant after the Public Works Department directed Chief Minister Atishi to vacate the residence in October.

Earlier on Wednesday, Singh and Bharadwaj told reporters that they will visit the residence at 11 am to “try to find the golden commode, swimming pool, and mini bar that the BJP claims are present there”.

Bharadwaj added: “It should be noted that both these properties are government residences. They were built with taxpayers’ money and came up during the Covid-19 pandemic. If there are allegations of misappropriation of funds, both should be investigated.”

The leaders added that they would also take reporters to the prime minister’s residence, which the Aam Aadmi Party has repeatedly claimed was built at a cost of Rs 2,700 crore, The Hindu reported.

Later, Singh and Bharadwaj engaged in an argument with the police about entering the 6, Flag Staff Road bungalow when they arrived outside the premises, India Today reported. Barricades were placed outside the residence to prevent the Aam Aadmi Party leaders from entering.

A large number of police personnel and water canons had also been deployed at the location, according to India Today. The police cited a lack of permission to allow entry into the residence.

Subsequently, the two leaders staged a dharna outside the residence.

“The police and PWD [Public Works Department] officials are saying that there is an order from the top not to allow anyone inside the CM [chief minister] residence,” Bharadwaj said. “I told them that I am the minister...This means that there is an order from the LG [Lieutenant Governor].”

He added that the BJP “will be happy with the police action”.

Singh also questioned why the site had been barricaded.

Atishi had shifted to the bungalow on October 6 after Kejriwal vacated it two days earlier. However, the Public Works Department asked her to vacate the premises on October 9, claiming that an official “handover” of the property from Kejriwal to the department was yet to take place.

As per the department, the inventory of the bungalow had not been completed. It added that Atishi did not have the official allotment letter even though she was in possession of the keys to the bungalow.

The residence was then sealed.

On October 11, the department allotted the house to the chief minister, which she accepted three days later, The Indian Express reported. The department issued the “authority slip” on October 16, valid until October 23, 2024, during which time Atishi was required to move into the bungalow.

However, the department on Monday withdrew its offer to allot the bungalow to because she allegedly did not take “physical possession” of the house for three months despite multiple requests from the department and issuance of the “authority slip” in October, The Indian Express reported.

It instead offered her two other choices for accommodation: Bungalow 2 at Raj Niwas and Bungalow 115 at Daryaganj. The department asked her to submit her choice within eight days.

The controversy comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Delhi, which will take place in a single phase on February 5. The counting of votes will take place on February 8.