AAP seeks govt accommodation for convenor Kejriwal

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday demanded a government accommodation for outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying he is entitled to it on account of being the convenor of a national party.

IMAGE: Arvind Kejriwal. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

At a press conference in New Delhi, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the party will write to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (HUA) and hoped that the ministry would provide the accommodation to Kejriwal in a couple of days.

Kejriwal, who resigned as the Delhi chief minister earlier this week, will move out of his official residence within 15 days, the AAP had said earlier.

Chadha said every national party is entitled to two resources -- an office and an accommodation for its chief -- to function from Delhi.

According to an office memorandum issued by the HUA ministry on July 31, 2014, the president of a national party can be allotted a government accommodation if he or she has no such facility in any other capacity.

'One residential accommodation would be allotted/allowed to be retained by the party president of a recognised national party provided that no other accommodation has been allotted to him/her in any other capacity,' it says.

Chadha said even after being the chief minister for 10 years, Kejriwal does not have his own house, whereas many people who have been councillors for five years have money, cars and bungalows.

A government accommodation is not a matter of privilege but a necessity to ensure the party's smooth functioning, he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the AAP over its demand.

"When Kejriwal resigned as the chief minister, AAP MP Sanjay Singh had glorified him for giving up power, the government bungalow and other privileges of a chief minister. Now, Raghav Chadha is pleading for a bungalow for the AAP supremo.

"Chadha and other AAP leaders should stop the press conference drama because a bungalow will not be obtained through press conferences. Instead, they should directly apply to the relevant department and acquire the government accommodation according to Kejriwal's eligibility," Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said.

The AAP became a national party following the 2002 Gujarat Assembly polls, in which it got some seats and a good share of the votes cast, he said.

The Centre provided an office to the AAP after two years of struggle and a court's intervention. The Kejriwal-led party moved to its new office on Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane in the Mandi House area last month, vacating its old DDU Marg office near ITO.

"I urge the Centre to follow the rules without any delay and any political consideration, and provide a government accommodation to party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. It is his and the Aam Aadmi Party's right," Chadha said.

AAP's national secretary will write to the HUA ministry, Chadha said, adding that he hopes that the accommodation would be provided to Kejriwal without any 'politically-motivated' considerations.

"This demand of government accommodation is the AAP's right. The AAP has been fighting for its right for long," he said.

Chadha also hoped that his party would not have to fight a legal battle for Kejriwal's government accommodation.

Kejriwal will 'very soon' give up all the official facilities provided to him once his resignation is accepted, he said. After the new chief minister takes oath, Kejriwal will start giving up the facilities, Chadha added.