Rahul Gandhi pays last respects to Oscar Fernandes, calls him "true soldier" of Congress
Bengaluru, Sep 16: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday paid his last respects to former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha member Oscar Fernandes, calling him "a friend, a guide and a true soldier" of the party.
The former Congress President also met the family of Fernandes.
"Spent some time with the family of Shri Oscar Fernandes Ji and paid last respects to him- a friend, a guide and a true soldier of the Congress Party," Rahul tweeted.
Fernandes (80), who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mangaluru, passed away on Monday.
He had suffered head injury after a fall while practicing yoga at his residence on July 18, following which he was shifted to the ICU and had remained critical, unconscious since then.
Rahul was in the city to pay his last respects to the veteran Congress man.
After his arrival in the city this afternoon, he met the family members of the late leader including wife Blossom Fernandes, son and a daughter at their Rest House Road residence here, and participated in the final prayer blessing at St. Patrick's Church here.
Several national and state Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Randeep Singh Surjewala, K C Venugopal, Margaret Alva, Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar were present.
Fernandes' body was brought to the city on Wednesday evening from Mangaluru, and it was kept at the state Congress office here earlier in the day for party leaders and workers to pay their last respects.
Condoling Fernandes death, Rahul Gandhi had earlier said, "It is a personal loss for me. He was a guide and mentor for many of us in the Congress Party. He will be missed and fondly remembered for his contributions."
Spent some time with the family of Shri Oscar Fernandes Ji and paid last respects to him- a friend, a guide and a true soldier of the Congress Party. pic.twitter.com/NyROBoCPPX
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 16, 2021
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BJP claims Kejriwal spent Rs 31 lakh monthly on maintenance of CM's bungalow from 2015 to 2022
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI): The BJP lashed out at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday citing an RTI reply that revealed Rs 3.69 crore was spent annually between 2015 and 2022 for the regular maintenance of the former chief minister's bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, quoting the RTI reply, said a total of Rs 29.56 crore was spent between March 31, 2015, and December 27, 2022, on general repairs, sewage, electricity and structural works of the bungalow that was occupied by Kejriwal when he was the chief minister.
While the BJP leader asked Kejriwal to "come forward and explain what exactly was lacking in his bungalow that required Rs 31 lakh to be spent every month on its maintenance", the AAP sought to know what the ruling party would achieve by abusing Kejriwal.
The opposition party pointed out that the bungalow was a government accommodation, not Kejriwal's private property.
Sachdeva said details obtained through a Right To Information (RTI) query have shown that Rs 3,69,54,384 was spent annually on regular maintenance of the bungalow.
Kejriwal, who came to power with promises of leading a government for the common man, was exposed by his "luxurious lifestyle" at the "Sheesh Mahal" constructed "secretively at a cost of Rs 52 crore", Sachdeva claimed.
The BJP has been targeting the AAP and Kejriwal over the reconstruction works at the bungalow, describing it as a "Sheesh Mahal" for its "expensive" interiors and household goods.
"We are presenting more evidence of Kejriwal's five-star lifestyle and corruption, and we demand an immediate response from him," Sachdeva said at a press conference here.
The Delhi BJP chief said a person from Maharashtra had filed the RTI query, seeking details of the maintenance expenses on the bungalow and added that the figures revealed Kejriwal's "extravagant lifestyle" and "corruption" in government works.
"In Delhi, where one can build a decent 250-300 square yard house spending Rs 3 to 4 crore, the cost of maintenance of Kejriwal's bungalow at Rs 3.69 crore annually is astonishing," he said.
The BJP leader said that Kejriwal has been avoiding answering the questions for a long time. The people of Delhi expect him to come forward and clarify what exactly was so deficient in his bungalow that Rs 31 lakh per month was needed for its maintenance, he added.
AAP hit back, saying the BJP "betrayed" Delhi and did not provide Rs 2,500 for women and free cylinders on Holi which proved that their poll promises were just gimmick.
While Delhi is suffering due to power cuts and arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, the BJP president is busy hurling abuses at Kejriwal, the opposition party alleged.
