BJP slams Kejriwal over 'pricey' items at Flagstaff Road bungalow, Atishi hits back
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Sunday, citing an unverified inventory, alleged that crores of rupees were spent on state-of-the-art household goods including a "missing" hi-tech toilet seat in the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow which was occupied for over nine years by the AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi chief minister.
Kejriwal after stepping down as the Delhi chief minister vacated the Flagstaff Road bungalow earlier this month.
No immediate reaction was available from the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government which owns and allots the bungalow, on the inventory of items shared by the BJP.
The bungalow was allotted to Kejriwal's successor Atishi who has yet to take its possession.
Atishi in a press conference replying to the charges of the saffron party said "BJP can keep the house and allot it to any of its leaders. We don't care about the house, bungalow or car. We will work for the people of Delhi, even if we have to work from the street."
BJP national IT department head Amit Malviya in a post on X shared the list saying "Here is the list of electric appliances and gadgets installed in Arvind Kejriwal's 'Sheeshmahal'. But here is the surprise. Fully automatic, sensor-equipped TOTO smart toilet seats with features like automatic open-close seat, heated seat, wireless remote deodorizer and automatic flushing, installed for the comfort ....go missing."
He claimed the cost of one such toilet ranged between Rs 10-12 lakh.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva in a statement said the chief minister's residence should be equipped with modern amenities but wasting public money on extravagance under the guise of comfort is condemnable.
Earlier, the BJP ran a campaign against Kejriwal, alleging irregularities in the reconstruction of the Flagstaff Road bungalow dubbing it "Sheeshmahal" for costly interiors and household goods.
A probe was already underway over the alleged violations of rules in the reconstruction of the bungalow.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
