Manish Sisodia’s official bungalow offered to Atishi; Jain’s to Saurabh

Both the ministers have been asked to submit their acceptance to confirm that they will shift to the house, said PWD officials aware of the matter. They added that bungalows will be vacated by March 21

The Public Works Department (PWD) has offered official bungalows to Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj the two new ministers in the Delhi cabinet, according to official documents.

AAP MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi. (PTI)

While Atishi has been offered the Mathura Road bungalow currently occupied by former deputy minister Manish Sisodia, Bharadwaj has been offered former health minister Satyendar Jain’s Civil Lines bungalow, according to the documents issued on March 14. HT has seen the papers.

Both the ministers have been asked to submit their acceptance to confirm that they will shift to the house, said PWD officials aware of the matter. They added that bungalows will be vacated by March 21.

Sisodia and Jain, who are facing investigations by central agencies in separate cases, resigned from the Cabinet on February 28.

A Delhi government official said the PWD decision is nothing but a compliance of the law. “According to the law, a minister upon resigning from his/her office is bound to vacate the government residence occupied by them within 15 days,” the official said.

Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said, “This is a legal process. But, I would like to clarify that as Bharat ruled by keeping Lord Ram’s footprints on the throne after he was sent in exile, two of our ministers will work similarly in the absence of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.”

Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that it was just a procedure and nothing more. “Atishi is a minister, it (the bungalow) has been allotted in her name, what is wrong with it. Manish Sisodia is our brother, his family is our family, and we will take care of them.”