New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to target AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for his allegedly extravagant expenditure on the official residence of the Chief Minister of Delhi.
Mr Shah, addressing a public gathering, shared an anecdote: “Some children came to meet me at my home. I asked them, what has Arvind Kejriwal done for Delhi? One of the children said that he built a big ‘Sheeshmahal’ (glass palace) for himself. When he came into politics, he used to say he would not take a government car or bungalow. Today, he has built a ‘Sheeshmahal’ using Delhiites’ money. Kejriwal ji, you will have to give an account to the people of Delhi.”
This salvo follows PM Modi’s criticism of AAP during the inauguration of several development projects in Delhi. PM Modi labelled AAP as an “aapda” (disaster) that has plagued the national capital for the past decade. In a swipe at Mr Kejriwal, PM Modi claimed that he could have constructed a ‘Sheeshmahal’ for himself but chose instead to prioritise building homes for the people.
The BJP has consistently attacked Mr Kejriwal over allegations of exorbitant spending on his official residence when he was the Chief Minister. An inventory released by the Public Works Department (PWD) in October last year showed luxurious appliances and renovations at the bungalow.
Responding to these accusations, Mr Kejriwal dismissed PM Modi’s remarks yesterday as personal attacks and alleged that the BJP has failed Delhi over the past decade. Mr Kejriwal accused the BJP of lacking a chief ministerial face and substantive issues ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
“In 10 years, the BJP has not done a single significant thing in Delhi. They promised permanent housing by 2022 but have built only 4,700 houses in five years. Compare that to AAP’s work: 22,000 classrooms, three new universities, and countless developmental initiatives,” Mr Kejriwal said.
The BJP today released its first list for the Delhi Assembly elections. Parvesh Verma has been fielded from the New Delhi constituency to take on Mr Kejriwal while Ramesh Bidhuri will contest Delhi Chief Minister Atishi for the Kalkaji constituency.