BJP questions AAP’s intention to ‘forcibly’ enter CM residence in Delhi

AAP tried to enter the 6 Flagstaff Road bungalow in search of a ‘golden commode, swimming pool, and mini bar,’ which the BJP alleged were funded by public money

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday questioned the “intentions” of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after its members attempted to enter the 6 Flagstaff Road bungalow in search of a ‘golden commode, swimming pool, and mini bar,’ which the BJP alleged were funded by public money at the expense of Delhi’s infrastructure.

AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj were stopped from entering the chief minister's residence (PTI)

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said during a press conference, “The phoney demonstration staged by the Member of Parliament (Singh) and the Delhi minister (Bharadwaj) cannot protect the monument of Kejriwal’s indulgence – Sheesh Mahal. What they did today is a display of anarchy, consistent with the AAP’s nature.”

Trivedi also questioned the reasons behind the AAP leaders’ attempts to “forcibly” enter the CM’s residence, asking, “Were you looking to remove or misplace items in the bungalow or disrupt the area, which is currently under investigation? There have been past incidents where items were either taken or removed from the CM’s residence.”

The AAP had earlier announced that Singh and Bhardwaj would lead a media tour of the residence, which the BJP claims was turned into a “Sheesh Mahal” during Arvind Kejriwal’s tenure as chief minister.

When Bharadwaj was denied entry, he asked the officials , “Who instructed you to stop us? I am a minister, and I am here for an inspection. How can you stop me? On whose orders? Have you received directions from the Lieutenant Governor? He is the only authority above my position.” Bharadwaj and Singh later staged a sit-in in front of the Prime Minister’s official residence on 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.

The BJP questioned why the AAP leaders waited until the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, to attempt to enter the 6 Flagstaff Road bungalow.

“The PWD minister was present today. If there is any truth to their claims, why did he wait until the MCC was in effect? He had full authority until yesterday,” a BJP leader said

Bhardwaj hit back, saying, “We are being stopped by the BJP’s police. The question is, why don’t they want the public to see the Prime Minister’s residence, the ‘Raj Mahal,’ constructed at a cost of ₹2,700 crore?”