The Delhi Legislative Assembly witnessed a day of high drama on Wednesday as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, led by minister Parvesh Verma, staged a theatrical demonstration, unspooling a massive roll of receipts to visually underscore the scale of expenditure allegedly incurred at 6, Flagstaff Road – the former official residence of ex-chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
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He drew a comparison with a character from the movie Dhurandhar, saying, “This was like a ‘Rehman Dakait’ moment. Public money was looted while people were suffering.”
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The dramatic scene unfolded two days after a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the renovation and construction of the former chief minister’s residence was tabled in the Assembly. As Verma read out from the roll, listing items from furnishings and furniture to toilet seats, saunas, curtains, and rugs, MLAs across the aisle rose to hold and pass the lengthy roll, forming two human chains to support its full stretch.
The BJP has repeatedly referred to the property as “Sheesh Mahal” to highlight what it claims was extravagant expenditure during Kejriwal’s tenure.
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A discussion on the CAG report took place on Wednesday, with chief minister Rekha Gupta and Verma citing its findings to raise questions over alleged financial irregularities in the construction. The Assembly subsequently approved referring the report to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for further investigation.
Opening the debate, Verma alleged that commitments had been made earlier to not avail government bungalows and official privileges, but “within 20 days, the people of Delhi were misled.”
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He contrasted the project with the Covid pandemic. “When Delhi was struggling for oxygen and families were searching for hospital beds, one file alone was marked ‘most urgent’. That file was for the construction of a palace.”
Verma said the cost of the residence escalated significantly, rising from ₹7 crore to ₹58 crore. “At a time when one ICU bed cost around ₹15,000, this amount could have created more than 2,300 ICU beds,” he said.
He also raised environmental concerns, alleging that 28 trees were cut without permission within the premises. He further claimed that an additional three-storeyed structure – a camp office – was being constructed, which he called “Sheesh Mahal Part 2.”
Reading from the roll of receipts, Verma listed expenditures that included ₹36 lakh on sofas, ₹1.05 crore on tables, ₹40 lakh on beds, ₹28 lakh on almirahs, among others.
Chief minister Rekha Gupta, who tabled details related to the issue, also addressed the House, describing the matter as one requiring scrutiny. She said the report highlighted “serious financial irregularities.” These are the same people who questioned 10 ACs being installed in former CM Sheila Dikshit’s house.” She also alleged that public funds were used for renovations of residences of other AAP leaders.
In her concluding remarks, Gupta said, “Those who claimed they would change politics only ended up changing their homes.”
In response, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged it was ironic that those who bought a VVIP boat for ₹6.2 crore were questioning a ₹30 crore CM residence. An AAP spokesperson added, “We demand full disclosure of the total cost, materials used, and equipment installed for the PM’s new residence, which we have learned cost thousands of crores.”